The 11th edition of OSH India Expo is going to be a three-day affair and is scheduled to be held from Nov 23-25 this year at Bombay Exhibition Centre. Please share your thoughts.

OSH India Expo has an eleven-year legacy of enriching Indian industry with HSE knowledge and spreading awareness through quality safety and occupational health product demos, and industry-leading conference sessions since the inception of its first edition in 2012. All along this journey we have received tremendous support and affection from the industry. We also recently concluded the 8th edition of OSH South India at the Chennai Trade Centre in the month of July, as well as the inaugural two-day OSH Gurukul conference in New Delhi in September. For OSH India this year, more than 500 brands will showcase over 700 products and solutions in PPE, ergonomics, gas detection and control, chemical safety, working at heights, etc. We have already received a phenomenal response and some of the big brands that have confirmed their participation till date include Acme, Allen Cooper, Arvind, DPL, IDOS, Intech, Lakeland, Laxmi Safe India, Liberty Shoes, Marvel Gloves, Mtandt, Perf, Sagar Asia, SGS, Sure Safety, Tej Engineering, Udyogi, Vaultex, Venus and Woodland. I am confident that the 11th edition of OSH India Expo is going to be the biggest ever occupational safety and health expo in the entire South Asian region.

The key supporting associations include: National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), Indian Society of Ergonomics (ISE), Indian Technical Textiles Association (ITTA) and Safety Appliances Manufacturers Association (SAMA).

WHAT NEW INITIATIVES SHOULD WE EXPECT TO SEE AT OSH INDIA EXPO 2023?

We are happy to introduce our AI-powered “Osh Market Online” that uses machine learning algorithms to connect you to the prospective buyers based on their preferences and interests & pre-schedule meetings with them. It has been designed to provide an year-long engagement between the sellers and buyers that goes beyond the three-day connect at the expo. In addition, there are several additional features that would truly enrich your experience while interacting with prospective clients. Through a minimalist investment in this platform, exhibitors stand to benefit from an enhanced connect with their prospective clients, who could be even those who are not able to visit OSH India Expo this year. What’s more the platform would enable continued connect with visitors post the expo and enable you to answer their queries at leisure and also further reach out to them with more offers.

What benefits does OSH India Expo bring to the HSE community in India and what has led to its phenomenal growth over the last eleven years? OSH India is the pioneer and the biggest occupational safety and health expo held in the South Asian region ever since its inception in 2012. It provides a unique platform for government officials and safety professionals to network with industry stalwarts and gain knowledge on the latest developments in the space of Occupational Safety & Health. It draws inspiration from the OSH International portfolio of Informa Markets which includes shows such as Safety & Health Expo, The UK. OSH India has fantastic connects with all key stakeholders and experts within the global OSH community as can be seen from the increasing participation of global OSH stakeholders each year.

TELL US ABOUT THE 9TH EDITION OF OSH INDIA AWARDS THIS YEAR.

OSH India Awards is a unique initiative intended to recognize HSE officers who implement path-breaking occupational safety & health solutions across various industry verticals. To give you an idea of the scale of the awards, we received 341 nominations in the previous edition in 2022 and aim to surpass this number for this year’s Awards. The pre-jury advisory meet to deliberate on the various categories has already been held virtually in August 2023 wherein valuable inputs were assimilated from key influencers and veterans in the safety fraternity. The final jury meet to select the winners will be held during the month of November. Ernst & Young (E&Y) are the process advisors for these awards and winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony on 23rd November 2023 at the OSH India Expo venue itself.

And who says safety isn’t glamorous? To add some spice to the Awards evening we are also going to organize the Safety Fashion Walk wherein top brands in the workwear domain showcase their latest designs through gorgeous models sashaying down the ramp.

OSH INDIA EXPO ALSO HAS A CO-LOCATED CONFERENCE THAT DRAWS A LARGE NUMBER OF HSE HEADS FROM ACROSS INDUSTRY EACH YEAR. WHAT VALUE DOES THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH FRATERNITY GET FROM THEIR DELIBERATIONS?

Over the years the OSH India conference running alongside the industry exhibition features thought-provoking speaker sessions and panel discussions on topics of contemporary interest from renowned HSE heads and international experts. It is a unique opportunity for 100+ HSE officers attending as delegates to listen to 50+ speakers and get the latest Indian regulatory framework updates. The delegates learn how to harness a culture of behavioural safety by installing systems and management best practices that promote exceptional performance. Leading organisations in the Construction, Manufacturing, Pharma, Oil & Gas verticals such as L&T, Ford, Maruti, Tata Projects, Tata Motors and ONGC have sent 1,500+ delegates over the years at the conference.

(This "Interviews" Published in November 2023 Edition)