Safety Convergence Workshop on ‘Industrial Safety’ organised

A one day Division Level Safety Convergence Workshop on ‘Hazardous Process in   Major Accident Hazard (MAH) Industries’ was organised at Civic Centre on 30th May 2023, by the Directorate of Factories & Boilers, Government of Odisha, with the support of SAIL, Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) and Institute of Quality and Environment Management Services Pvt. Ltd., Bhubaneswar. Mr. R. S. Gopalan, IAS, Commissioner-Cum-Secretary, Department of  Labour and ESI, Govt. of Odisha, was the Chief Guest on the occasion while Dr. N. Thirumala Naik, IAS, Director of Factories & Boilers, and Labour Commissioner, Govt. of Odisha was the Guest of Honour. Both of them attended the programme through virtual mode.  Present on the occasion were Mr. Somnath Tripathy, ED (MM), RSP, Mr. Niranjan Jena, Dy. Secretary (Nodal Officer) Department of  Labour and ESI, Govt. of Odisha, Mr. Bibhu Prasad, Dy. Director, Factories & Boilers, Govt. of Odisha, Rourkela Division, Mr. Manoj Kumar Mishra, Assistant Director, Factories & Boiler, Govt. of Odisha and Mr. Debabrata Panigrahi., Managing Director, Institute of Quality and Environment Management Services Pvt. Ltd.  The dignitaries lighted the ceremonial lamp to mark the beginning of the workshop.  In his inaugural address, Mr. R. S. Gopalan deliberated on the significance of safety in industries especially in the Iron & Steely industry for their sustenance. He stressed on the role of large scale industries in supporting the MSMEs to strengthen the safety aspects.

Dr. N. Thirumala Naik in his keynote address elaborated on the mission of accomplishing the Vision- Zero in the state which aims for zero fatality in industrial accidents. He thanked RSP for extending all support for organising the workshop in which delegates of all the industries from in and around Rourkela have taken part. A video message of Mr. Atanu Bhowmick, Director In-Charge, RSP was also shown on the occasion, in which he said, “As responsible industrial bodies, all of us have to imbibe the fact that safety is not just a matter of compliance but a way of life. It is our prime duty to keep each of our employees and contract workers safe.” He also wished that the valuable insights and perspectives gained by the participants, will go a long way in making our Sundargarh district an industrial-accident-free zone.

Mr. Somnath Tripathy emphasised upon the role of leadership, attitude, mindset and commitment towards safety as the vital components to ensure safety in every aspect of one’s life. Mr. Niranjan Jena in his address described RSP as the harbinger of safety movement in India and exhorted the MSMEs and other industries to replicate the effective Safety Management System that works in the Plant. Speaking on the occasion Mr. Bibhu Prasad deliberated on the importance of safety in view of the increasing number of potential threats and hazards due to the massive industrialisation in the country. To promote an effective culture of safety, he emphasised on the role of each individual as well as the industries and the Government. Earlier, Mr. Debabrata Panigrahi briefed about the objectives of the programme. Mr. Abakash Behera, GM, Safety Engineering Dept. welcomed the gathering while Mr. Manoj Kumar Mishra, Assistant Director, Factories & Boilers, Rourkela Division proposed a formal vote of thanks. In the various sessions held later, topics pertaining to various aspects of safety in steel, sponge iron, Refractory, Oil, Cement and power plants, Behavior Based Safety and felt leadership,Safety in fire and explosion were discussed