Mumbai : As the OSH India 2013 came to a close at the Bombay Exhibition Centre on the 17th September, 2013, the last day of India’s largest safety event witnessed stimulating conversations ranging from ‘Responsible Care for Health, Safety and Environment (HSE)’ in the chemical industry, to evaluating effectiveness of safety audits and their role in improving employee safety at workplaces. The highly successful 2nd edition of OSH India was held on 16th -17th September, and witnessed an unprecedented number of visitors from across sectors such as manufacturing, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals and heavy constructions experiencing products, services and solutions showcased by various leading exhibitors.

The highlight of the show was the participation from over 70 exhibitors, 150 delegates and support from key associations such as DISH Maharashtra, National Safety Council, Gujarat Safety Council, Oil Industry Safety Directorate, IOSH and British Safety Council. Enthusiastic participation from exhibitors like Draeger Honeywell, Lakeland, Ansell, Mallcom, NTT Data, BATA India, Marvel Gloves, Perfect Safety Instruments and many others further reaffirmed the right direction in which OSH India is heading.

Recognising heroes in real life, OSH India 2013 presented the OSH Safety Hero Award to – Mr. Arvind Mhatre, from Bharat Petroleum Corporation; Mr. Kishan Singh Kathayat from Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd.; Mr. Rajesh Khamkar from Godrej & Boyce; Mr. Vikas Chaudhari with EMCO Ltd. for their bravery, common sense and quick wit in averting critical disasters at their workplaces.

Mr. Joji George, Managing Director, UBM India, said, “The second edition of OSH India attracted the crème-de-la-creme as far as Industry participation is concerned. It is designed and destined to only grow bigger and better with every edition. Participation from powerful associations like the British Safety Council, IOSH, NEBOSH were the highlights apart from the educational seminars and workshops that were conducted on various topics.”

Reaffirming the faith that the exhibitors have in OSH India as the platform for health & Safety professionals, Mr. Sudeep Chakravarty, Director, EAS/ Governance Risk and Compliance, NTT Data, said, “We are glad that we are participating here at OSH India. As one of the largest IT service providers and SAP Gold Partners for the industry, it’s a platform for us to share with the industry the SAP IT solutions in the OSH space. We are looking forward to participate next year not only in India but in the London edition as well.”

Mukund Bagree, Director, Udyogi Plastics Pvt. Ltd. said, “Our motive of creating a good brand image and market reach has been successful. We are happy with the responses that we have received.”

Rajiv Kapoor, Project Head, Rahman Industries Ltd. said, “The response of the visitors in the expo has been amazing and the experience with the consumers has been outstanding. The expo has given us a lot of business leads. We are going to participate next year.”

Shreesh Nadgouda, General Manager, Draeger Safety India Pvt. Ltd, shared his views on OSH India 2013 stating, “Draeger is an international leader in medical and safety technology and we have showcased our safety products at the show. As a part of the company’s commitment to sharpen the focus on the safety market in India, the OSH India 2013 is the platform for Dräger to highlight its strength in the safety portfolio and further engage strategically towards stakeholder engagement.”

Mr. Omar Al-Bahiti, Marketing and Communications – MEAI, Middle East, Africa, India & Turkey, Honey well safety products said, “This is our second year with the show. The potential of the show this year is bigger. The importance of the show for us is that it is one of the only shows that is sector specific and is hand in hand with our business and our strategy in the safety business. The show is providing us with customer and end-user exposure providing an opportunity to introduce our plans in the market. We are looking forward to continuing this positive trend next year.”

In spite of being just a two day event, OSH India was successful in creating an environment conducive for interactive discussions between policy makers, subject matter experts and manufacturers. With the number of visitors and exhibitors going up year after year OSH India has confirmed its status as India’s largest event on occupational Safety & Health in the country.

Source : Lokesh Shastri