OSH India 2017: UBM India’s stride in raising awareness about occupational safety & health

Mumbai: UBM India, India’s leading exhibition organiser will be hosting the sixth edition of OSH India, South Asia’s largest trade show in the Occupational Safety and Health industry in the business hub of Mumbai. Slated for the 23^rd and 24^th  November 2017 at — CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai,  the safety show will bring together internationally renowned exhibitors, consultants, business experts and key government officials under one roof, to discuss global best practices and seek solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the field of workplace safety and health.  

India as compared to most countries in the world has a demographic advantage with regard to its youth population. 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 shifts 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 emphasizing 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 management 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.

OSH India is the country’s definitive annual exhibition for the safety industry that attracts over 140 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 will include an Innovation Zone which will be a platform for exhibitors to promote and showcase innovative products that will benefit the occupational safety and health industry at large. The innovative product /service or technology will have a chance to win ‘Best Product Innovation Award’ which will be presented to the winner onsite. This year, the expo will include a dedicated two day knowledge sharing classroom session on Powered Access which will be conducted by The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). This session will promote 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.

Speaking on the announcement of OSH India 2017, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “With an increasing number of hours in the day spent at the workplace, enhancing the safety and well-being of employees is a prime concern for all organisations in order to secure workplace productivity and to enhance the quality of life as a whole. Increasing casualties at unsafe workspaces has accentuated the significance of occupational health & safety compliances amongst companies worldwide. With consistent emphasis by governments on developing infrastructure and providing workplace safety coupled with the rise in global investments in the sector, there lies a huge opportunity for the suppliers and service providers from across the world to showcase their innovations and knowledge amidst an industry landscape of a vastly untapped Indian market. OSH India 2017, addresses this very need and seeks to provide tangible solutions to this very pressing need by giving an opportunity to these suppliers and service providers.”

This year’s two –day OSH conference aims to share and ideate on global best practices with delegates whilst the accompanying exhibition will help identify solutions to the most pressing challenges in workplace safety and health. The key sessions and panel discussions at the conference will be attended by industry experts from across the country and leading international organizations. Topics of discussion at the conference include: ‘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.’ A broad stratagem for the enhancement of women workers’ safety and health has to be built. The conference also aims to influence organisations to take a gender-sensitive approach and ensure employers implement risk management and protective measures addressing gender differences.

Distinguished speakers at the conference include Mr. Jayanand Potdar, Chief Operating Officer, Godrej Properties Ltd., Mr. S Mani, President, Process Research, HR, SH&E & CSR, Orchid Pharma Ltd., Mr. Suresh Tanwar,  Chief – Group Safety & Health (Tata Group), Mr. K Manjunath,  Associate Director, EHS and Operational Business Continuity, Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd., Mr. Srinivas Pranesh, Head – Responsible Care, BASF India, Mr. Satyanarayan Nayak –  Head- Environment Protection, Health Management and Safety, Siemens,Mr. Subroto Mukherjee, Head Administration & Facilities Management, Cipla Ltd,  Mr. Ajoy Kumar Paul,  General Manager (HSE & Asset Integrity) , Mahanagar Gas Ltd., Mr. Jitendra Deshpande,  General Manager –HSE (Corporate), Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Company Ltd. Mr. Bajirao Dethe, Chief Manager-CEHS, Piramal Pharma Solutions, Dr. K. Mamallan, Deputy Manager (Safety, Health, Environment & Quality) & (ISO), Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd  (A Group Company of Indian Oil), Mr. B Karthik, Founder, Orion Transcenders, Dr Francin Pinto, Managing Director, 3- S Envo Projects Pvt Ltd, Mr Ish Anand, Founder & CEO, Relia Smart Learning & Development Pvt Ltd  and Mr Abhay Pathak Team Lead Assessor EHS,  Quality Council of India -National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) amongst others..

OSH India 2017 will also witness the ‘OSH India Safety Awards 2017’ 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 slated for 23^rd November will be a celebration of the coming together of the luminaries and forerunners of the industry, marked by a night of glamour and entertainment.