OSH India 2017: UBM India’s Stride in Raising Awareness About Occupational Safety and Health

21 November 2017, Mumbai : South Asia’s largest trade show for Occupational Safety and Health industry in Mumbai by UBM India, 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 23rd and 24th 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 are 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.

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.

OSH India has been consistently growing in size and depth, attracting industry leaders and key exhibitors including ‘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 will have a presence of over 140 brands and will also see international participation from countries such as USA, Germany, UK, UAE, Japan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Italy.

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 and 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.’ 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.