Enhancing safety and well-being of the Indian workforce
UBM India has recently held the 6th edition of the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) India 2017 at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Navi Mumbai. The show brought together internationally renowned exhibitors, consultants, business experts and key government officials on 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 participation of leading exhibitors from across the industry reaffirmed the need and focus of OSH India as an industry event.
The inaugural ceremony took place in the presence of SudhakarPrabhuRathod, Director, Directorate Industrial Safety & Health, the Department of Labour, Government of Maharashtra; Santosh Warrik, CFO & Advisor, MIDC, Government of Maharashtra; Arvind Mandke, Chief Fire Officer, CIDCO, Government of Maharashtra; Pankaj Jain, Group Director, UBM India Pvt. Ltd., and Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India, amidst an august industry gathering.
Speaking at the inauguration Yogesh Mudras said, “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., 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.
The expo was 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.
OSH India 2017 also witnessed the ‘OSH India Safety Awards 2017’ on the evening of day 1 which was 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.
