7th edition of Occupational Safety & Health (OSH South India) India and the 6th edition of SAFE South India 2022 Inaugurated at Chennai

Chennai, 17th June 2022: The grand opening of the 7th edition of Occupational Safety & Health (OSH South India) India and the 6th edition of SAFE South India 2022, also the largest ever, took place today at the Chennai Trade Centre. The expos, organized by Informa Markets in India, were inaugurated in the presence of Chief Guest – Thiru. T. Mano Thangaraj, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu , Guest of Honours - Thiru. Braj Kishore Ravi, IPS, DGP / Director, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services and Thiru. M.V. Karthikeyan, B.E., Joint Director, Directorate of Industrial Safety & Health, Govt of Tamil Nadu, along with key dignitaries Thiru. Chozha Naachiar Rajasekar, President, The Tamil Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Sharad Kumar, Airport Director, Chennai International Airport, Hemant Sapra, President of Safety Appliances Manufacturing Association, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India and Mr. Pankaj Jain, Sr. Group Director & Digital Head, Informa Markets in India. The co-located shows, held under one roof showcased all the elements of occupational health & safety and security. The consolidation of both events created a 360-degree view of the built environment.

(Left to Right) - Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India, Thiru. M.V. Karthikeyan, B.E., Joint Director, Directorate of Industrial Safety & Health, Govt of Tamil Nadu, Thiru. Braj Kishore Ravi, IPS, DGP / Director, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, Dr. Sharad Kumar, Airport Director, Chennai International Airport, Thiru. Chozha Naachiar Rajasekar, President, The Tamil Chamber of Commerce, Hemant Sapra, President of Safety Appliances Manufacturing Association, Mr. Pankaj Jain, Sr. Group Director & Digital Head, Informa Markets in India

The dual trade platform found greater traction amongst corporates, industrialists, facilities management, builders and operators who stand to benefit greatly from the use of safety and security technologies. It created a powerful event alignment featuring more than 200 brands from over 100 domestic and international exhibitors. The key exhibitor brands & partners at OSH South India include Mallcom, Venus, Torpedo, LRQA, Venus, ion Science, Marshal, VMEDO, Sure Safety, Red Star Safety, Karam, Udyogi, Joseph Leslie, Midas Safety and Jayco Safety, to name a few. Key brands and partners at SAFE South India include Hikvision, Prama, Syrotech, In4, ZkTeco, Biomax, Gtropy, Hiware, Magtech, Picsys, Timewatch, Toshiba, Trueview, TVT and XYZ Digital, among others. 

The OSH South India is well supported by associations such as the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce, Safety Appliances Manufacturers Association (SAMA), International Power Access Federation (IPAF), Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA), and many other safety consultants. The SAFE Expo is supported by APSA (Asian Professional Security Association), ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security) Bengaluru, New Delhi and Mumbai Chapters, ESAI (Electronic Security Association of India) and OSAC (Overseas Security Advisory Council) Chennai Chapter, IISSM (International Institute of Security and Safety Management), GACS (Global Association for Corporate Services), and Mitkat Advisory to give a boost and facilitate the security sector.

Speaking at the inauguration of OSH and SAFE South India 2022, Thiru T. Mano Thangaraj, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu said “It gives me great pleasure to be a part of OSH & SAFE South India 2022, as we are now looking at a critical component of the industry which is occupational health & safety and security. 

It is our honorable Chief Minister, Shri Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin’s dream to make Tamil Nadu the technology hub for the country with the rich talent pool that we possess when compared to other regions of the country. Tamil Nadu is also blessed with some of the best higher educational institutions and research centres, with almost over 4.5 lakh technically qualified graduates coming out every year in different disciplines. Our government is stable and very approachable with everyone having an easy access to the various Departments. There is a lot of focus on rural development, with some of the best infrastructural facilities like roads and rail connectivity, and soon we would have connected almost all villages in the State, which is a 10-month project. The students will drive the development in the State and the Government is going out of the way to connect the industry with the academia. 

There are also a number of programs for Start-ups, encouraging them to go global and connect with the global ecosystem, so that there is an interchange of technology which could be beneficial both ways. I am very pleased with the effort put into organizing the expos and would like to congratulate Informa Markets for putting up the best display of the best-in-class technology that would protect this industrial development. The honorable Chief Minister has already announced a goal of $1 Trillion economy by 2030 for the State, and each and every department is committed and geared up to achieve that number. Even the IT Department has promised the Chief Minister that we would accomplish 10% of the goal, and we would leave no stone unturned in our attempt to achieve this goal. Investments into safety, security and fire prevention, will also build confidence  and encourage cross coordination within the industry and academia. I would once again like to thank Informa Markets for doing a fine job and would request them to organize more events to give industrial growth in Tamil Nadu a boost.”

Speaking at the inauguration of OSH and SAFE South India, the much-awaited shows in Chennai, Mr Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India said “We need an environment free from major risks, be it in the form of occupational health and safety at the workplace or as citizens to maintain a robust economic growth. To further propel the Indian economy to battle any economic slowdowns, emphasis needs to be given not only to the invention of safety and security measures but also to practice them in a systematic and timely manner. We are delighted that our co-located shows give the opportunity to the manufacturing industry to showcase key technologies in occupational health and safety, security and surveillance bringing new levels of intelligence and sustainability to the stakeholder community. The shows highlight numerous emerging trends that strengthen industrial and workplace safety market share and showcase multiple demonstrations of safety and security products and equipment. Expos like OSH and SAFE will act as boosters for businesses to nurture in the coming years.” 

Speaking on the occasion Thiru. Chozha Naachiar Rajasekar, President, The Tamil Chamber of Commerce said “On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce, I would like to congratulate Informa Markets for conducting these expos on safety and security, which is the need of the hour. Even in developed economies like the United States of America, more than 3 million people suffer injuries and other illnesses related to working in factories. Human life is precious, and we have to recognize the fact that it is the quality of the workforce that determines the productivity of any particular industry. We also need to compete in the global economy as per international norms and standards, as the starting point to achieve double-digit growth rate in manufacturing and exports. 

It is therefore imperative that we need to put a lot of focus on safety and security at the workplace, especially in factories and other high-risk areas where the worker is prone to injuries. It took global manufacturing technology about 200 years to make the industry safe and secure for the worker, after starting out with mining where even today there are incidents of mishaps and loss of life. Safety and security are not only to be followed in industries, but also in business centers, service centers, offices and even every other aspect of life. Expos like OSH and SAFE South India 2022 will help improve the standard of human beings and will also increase productivity in factories, manufacturing activities, and all services.”

A symposium of exhibitions, conferences and seminars provided a valuable opportunity for the industry leaders to deliberate on the latest trends and disruptions impacting safety and security verticals. The two-day seminar and conference hosted a plethora of government officials, experts, industry associations and evangelists, and technical leaders shaping the future of the occupational health & safety and security industry. It was a perfect convergence of experts from the public and private sectors. 

The key speakers at the show included Jayasanckar R, Vice President and Head -EHS, EID Parry (India) Limited, M. Namasivayam, Ex-Divisional Officer, Tamil Nadu Fire & Rescue Services Dept, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Edwin Jenson N. S., Director, Chemsys Innovative Solutions Pvt Ltd, Dipil Kumar Vasu, SMS, Managing Director - TeamTech EHS amongst others. The series of sessions offered integration and adoption of transformative technologies offering lucrative opportunities in this sector. Covid-19 created a situation making the growth of this industry vital for overall economic development. Topics such as Rebuilding EHS capabilities for post-COVID-19 operations, Habits of Impactful Safety Professionals, Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, Invigorating Workers in the Construction Industry with Industry-Leading Best Practices in HSE and many others have pushed this industry on a growth trajectory.

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