by Suman Gupta
. South Asia’s largest trade show for Occupational Safety & Health industry in Mumbai by UBM India
· A congregation of 140 renowned Indian and Global brands
· OSH India Safety Awards & Industry conference mark the 6th edition of the expo
Mumbai, November, 2017: UBM India today launched the 6th edition of the Occupational Safety& Health (OSH) India (23rd – 24th November 2017) safety show at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai. The show brought together internationally renowned exhibitors, consultants, business experts and key government officials under one common platform, to discuss global best practices and seek solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the field of workplace safety and health.
The inaugural ceremony of OSH India, 2017 took place in the presence of Key Dignitaries, Shri. Sudhakar Prabhu Rathod, Director, Directorate Industrial Safety & Health, The Department of Labour, Government of Maharashtra, Mr. Santosh Warri k, CFO& Advisor, MIDC, Government of Maharashtra, Mr. Arvind Mandke, Chief Fire Officer, CIDCO, Government of Maharashtra Mr. Pankaj Jain, Group Director, UBM India Pvt Ltd and Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India amidst an august industry gathering.
The participation of leading exhibitors from across the industry reaffirmed the need and focus of OSH India as an industry event. These include, ‘Premier Partner’ – Dickies, ‘Platinum Partner’- Euro Security, ‘Gold Partner’- Udyogi, ‘Silver Partner’- Venus, ‘Safe Escape Partner’- Prolite , AutoGlo, ‘Gas Detection Partner’- Drager, ‘Registration Partner’- Jayco, ‘Lanyard Partner’- Allen Cooper, ‘Badge Partner’- UVIRAJ, ‘Delegate Kit Partner’- PIG , New Pig, ‘Occupational Safety and Health Partner’- Eurock, ‘Visitor Bag Partner’- Heapro and others such as Motorola Solutions India Pvt. Ltd., Superhouse Ltd., ID Overseas Private Ltd., Jayco Safety Products Pvt. Ltd., Saurya HSE Pvt. Ltd., Continental Manufacturing Co., Draeger Safety India Pvt. Ltd., Uviraj Global (P) Ltd., Teijin India Pvt. Ltd., Bata India, Unicare Emergency Equipment Pvt. Ltd., Acme Safetywears Ltd., NEBOSH Ltd., SATRA Technology Centre Ltd. and Rahman Industries Ltd. amongst others. This year, the show has a presence of over 140 brands and is witnessing international participation from countries such as USA , Germany, UK, UAE, Japan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Italy.
Speaking at the inauguration of OSH India 2017, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “Approximately half of India’s 1.2 billion people are under the age of 26, and by 2020, it is forecasted to be the youngest country in the world, with a median age of 29. Recent reports say, 250 million people are set to join India’s workforce by 2030. As a big chunk of the population belongs to the working age group, organisations need to look at the safety and health along with emotional well-being of these employees on priority to retain the best of talent and ensure good productivity. Companies in manufacturing and allied sectors such as automobile, oil and gas, construction etc. in particular are becoming aware of occupational hazards and are working towards creating a safer working environment. Governments for their part are through regulations emphasising on developing infrastructure and providing resources centred around workplace safety, coupled with increasing global investments. Despite a greater focus on occupational safety and health, there is still inadequate education at various levels and public awareness is still absent, as managements and workforce don’t always place safety as a top priority. Although, many organisations have taken the initiative to organize training sessions to create awareness, a concentrated and cohesive strategy is clearly not in place. UBM India’s OSH India is geared to filling this vital gap.
“Also, this year we are glad to have a gender sensitive approach to safety and health as one of the topics at the conference seminar. A broad stratagem for the enhancement of women workers’ safety and health has to be built with an increasing number of women at the workplace, enhancing productivity and breaking the glass ceiling.” he further added.
OSH India is the country’s definitive annual exhibition for the safety industry that attracts brands worldwide and facilitates ways to incorporate best practises at the workplace, especially to promote health and safety within it. The expo is supported by DISH ( Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health ) – Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu ; Gujarat Safety Council; Indian Technical Textile Association; Taloja Industrial Association; Thane Manufacturer Association and Indian Society of Ergonomics.
The expo included an Innovation Zone, platform for exhibitors to promote and showcase innovative products to benefit the occupational safety and health industry at large. It also included a dedicated two day knowledge sharing classroom session on Powered Access conducted by The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). This session promotes the safe and effective use of powered access in India.
The IPAF promotes the safe and effective use of powered access equipment worldwide in the widest sense — through providing technical advice and information, influencing and interpreting legislation and standards, its safety initiatives and training programmes. It is a not-for-profit organisation owned by its members that include manufacturers, rental companies and contractors.
This year’s two –day OSH conference shared global best practices with delegates whilst the accompanying exhibition will helped identify solutions to the most pressing challenges in workplace safety and health. The key sessions and panel discussions at the conference were attended by industry experts from across the country and leading international organizations. Topics of discussion at the conference included: ‘Promoting a Broader Ownership of Health and Safety in India’, ‘Benchmarking Current Industry Practices for handling high Toxic Chemicals’ , ‘Accident Prevention: Hazard and Operability Analysis’, ‘Fire Safety Management and Audits, ‘Redefining Health and Safety Metrics: Tackling Occupational Disease,’ ‘Construction Safety: Design and Management’, ‘Emotional Intelligence to Create a Safer Workplace’, ‘Gender Sensitive Approach to Workplace Health and Safety,’ ‘The Role and Need for Accreditation in HSE’ and ‘Disaster Management/Crisis Management.’ The conference also aimed to influence organisations to take a gender-sensitive approach and ensure employers implement risk management and protective measures addressing gender differences.
OSH India 2017 will also witness the ‘OSH India Safety Awards 2017’ on the evening of Day 1 which is open to Indian operating businesses, organizations, alliances and individuals in the public or private sector with a workplace health and safety initiative. This year, OSH Awards received a total of 120 nominations from across industry verticals that include construction, pharma, chemicals, FMCG, BPO, Banking, refineries, oil & gas, automobiles, logistics & transport, power, SME’s, Agro, Healthcare, food, iron& steel, IT, Rubber industry and more. These Awards have been instrumental in building competitiveness among applicants, in encouraging innovation and have been able to promote and establish thought leadership within the Occupational Safety and Health industry in India. The Awards Night will be a celebration of the coming together of the luminaries and forerunners of the industry, marked by a night of glamour and entertainment.
