1st Occupational Safety Health India OSH Virtual Expo A Premier Digital Offering by Informa Markets in India

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Signature event highlighting policies, innovations & opportunities
to augment safety and wellness in the work-sphere

MUMBAI, July 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) India Virtual Expo, South Asia's largest show catering to the occupational safety and health industry by Informa Markets in India (formerly UBM India), announces the debut of its virtual trade exhibition and conference slated for July 16, 2020.

The global threat currently posed by COVID-19, and the subsequent stringent safety measures including travel restrictions, and social distancing has impacted the exhibitions industry. This virtual expo by OSH India has been crafted to consistently meet the needs of the occupational safety and health sector and enable professionals to sustain their critical business conversations and provide them with feasible solutions.

Supported by the British Safety Council, along with Silver partners, Hindsiam, Mac Machine Tools & Automation, Motorola, Mallcom and Venus Health & Safety, and Exhibiting Partner, Swan Environmental Pvt Ltd., the expo will bring together renowned brands, consultants, business experts and key Government officials pertaining to the occupational health and safety under a common virtual platform. The virtual inauguration will be marked by the presence of Chief Guest, Shri Satyajeet Rajan, IAS, Addl Chief Secy, Labour, Skills & Excise, Govt. of Kerala; Guests of Honour, Sri K. Srinivas, Director, Department of Factories, Boilers, Industrial Safety & Health and Shri Lalit Gabhane, Director-General, National Safety Council; Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India and Mr. Pankaj Jain, Group Director - Security & Safety Portfolio, Informa Markets in India.

The virtual expo will include a formidable repertoire of products and technologies that make the work-sphere in corporate houses and factories optimal. These include Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs), Protective Clothing and Accessories related to molten metal protection, electric arc protection and urban search & rescue, Sound level meters, Dosimeters, Heat stress monitors, Vibration analysers, Light meter, Air & Dust samplers, Sampling media, Single and Multi-Gas Detectors, Alcohol breath analysers, Indoor Air Quality monitors, Bio samplers, Anemometers, Odor meters, Aerosol monitors, Fire Fighting Helmets and gloves, Cut Resistant Gloves, Anti Flash Hood, Fire and Welding Blankets & Fire Escape masks. Various health solutions for protecting Life, Environment and Property is also a priority at the show.

With the opening of offices in the Unlock phase, occupational safety and health in India continues to be an onerous task, especially with the current pandemic situation. OSH India Virtual Expo has decided to proactively decipher relevant insights gained in the global workplace safety market by including a power packed conference consisting of government officials, HSE experts, industry associations, & OSH evangelists scheduled between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The webinars will focus on topics such as Leadership in Employee Health & Wellbeing; Practicing Ergonomics at New-Age Workplaces; Tackling Mental Health at Workplaces Post COVID-19; The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Safety of Global Workforce; and Hazard Identification & Risk Control: Strategies for Successful Accident Prevention.

Speaking at the announcement of OSH India's first virtual expo, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India, said, "We are delighted to announce OSH India's first virtual approach in the form of an exhibition to cater to the workplace safety and wellness industry amidst the ongoing pandemic. The show will be a world class web-based platform that ensures a comprehensive display of products, insights and networking through the expo and the conference, all of it seamlessly configured through the touch of a fingertip. Focusing on occupational safety is a priority and need of the hour, with the gradual return to the workplace in a new normal amidst the pandemic. The OSH Virtual Expo seeks to also spread awareness in focused areas such as occupational safety and health for working women, people working at heights or working with hazardous substances, workplace ergonomics, and very significantly, employee wellness when morale is at a low. We are certain that the industry will find our endeavour extremely relevant."

According to Mr. Sunil Kumar Agrawal, Director, Hindsiam, "Since the outburst of COVID-19, there's a global shortage of all forms of Personal Protective Equipment which could be detrimental to personal health and safety. The healthcare industry is reeling to meet the ascending needs of individuals and families suffering from the pandemic. However, it needs to be remembered that this COVID-19 scenario is not the only cause for concern for working professionals. With Government regulations to open various sectors, focus also needs to be on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) pertaining to Industrial Fire, Electric Arc, Molten Metals, Flash Fire, Liquid Chemical Splashes, Forest and Vegetation Fire, Static Electricity, Domestic Fire, Smoke and Heat. The absence of adequate PPE offerings and adequate levels of protection could be disembarking to the lives of the nation's workforce. Hindsiam with its comprehensive range of Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment covering from head to toe and certified to International Standards offers complete peace of mind to the Industrial, Domestic and Service Sectors."

Speaking on mental health issues that have been identified as one of the adverse effects of the national lockdown, Mr. Suresh Tanwar, Chief Audit Analyst , British Safety Council spoke about practical steps employers can take to support and improve the mental health of Indian workers, "Mental health issues have come to the surface as a result of extended lockdown. The senior leadership needs to put in programs like EAP (Employee Assistance Program) with counselling sessions for individuals passing through the mentally traumatic phase, stress assessment tool, training programs on stress and anxiety management. All of these need to be taken by management to address mental health issues with confidentiality."

Speaking on ways workers can be protected both from the risk of catching the virus or infecting others, Mr. Tanwar stated, "Workers can be protected with measures that the organizations take. While everyone by now knows the common measures like wearing of mask, maintaining physical distance of 2 metres, washing of hands for 20 seconds, it is important that these control measures emanate from risk assessment process rather than an ad-hoc approach to implement these on sites. The holistic approach would involve senior leadership communication, risk assessment of all activities, and commensurate control measures, crisis management and business continuity and effective review mechanism. At British Safety Council, we follow this approach and assist and assess our clients on the same lines."

In the light of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown, mental health issues adversely impacting the working population in India is a grim reality. Commenting on the practical steps employers can take to improve the same, Heather Beach, Founder-Director, The Healthy Work Company, said, "It is important to tackle the organisational factors which cause stress and look at the support you have internally for intervention when people do suffer. Support your managers with the tools they need, to have individual conversations with employees to tackle anxieties and provide awareness to them about managing their own resilience."

The conference webinar at the OSH Virtual Expo has an interesting line of speakers including, Mr. Shiv Khera, Indian author, activist and professional speaker; Heather Beach, Founder & MD, The Healthy Work Company; Shankar R., Head - Safety, Quality, Systems, Sustainability and Process Improvements, Sterling and Wilson Solar; Srinivasu M., GM-CHSE (Formulations) & Head-Sustainability, Hetero Labs Ltd; Hitesh Lachhwani, National Head - Safety at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd.; Ravindra Dhapola, Corporate Head-SHE, CSR & Sustainability, Tata Coffee Ltd; Karan Vir Singh, General Manager - Fire & Safety-Mumbai Refinery, Hindustan Petroleum; Mohan V.C., General Manager - EHS, Bosch Ltd; Avinash Harde, Vice President - IMS HCC Ltd; Shivakumara C., Head-HSE, Project and Development Services, Jones Lang LaSalle; Sri. Arockiasamy, Sr. General Manager-EHS, JMC Projects India Ltd and Suresh Tanwar, Head of Audit & Consultancy, British Safety Council, India LLP, to name a few.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organiser, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com

About Informa Markets and our business in India

Informa Markets is owned by Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Informa Markets in India (formerly UBM India) is India's leading exhibition organizer, dedicated to help specialist markets and customer communities, domestically and around the world to trade, innovate and grow through exhibitions, digital content & services, and conferences & seminars. Every year, we hosts over 25 large scale exhibitions, 40 conferences, along with industry awards and trainings across the country; thereby enabling trade across multiple industry verticals. In India, Informa Markets has offices across Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. For further details, please visit - www.informa.com.

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