By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 14 Mar: UPES celebrated the ‘48thNational Safety Week’ with great fervour during 4-10 March at its Bidholi campus. The weeklong celebrations organised under the aegis of the ‘Department of Health, Safety & Environment’ (HSE) of the School of Engineering in the University were conducted by the Students’ Management Committee (SMC) that comprised all the three student chapters viz. ‘American Society of Safety Professionals’ (ASSP), ‘Fire & Security Association of India’ (FSAI) & ‘Green Up’of HSE Department. The motto of the ‘Safety Week 2019’ was to “Cultivate & Sustain a Safety Culture for Building Nation”. Celebrated throughout the country, the event commemorates the ‘Foundation Day’ of the ‘National Safety Council’ that came into existence on 4 March, 1966, to ensure integration of safety and health in the work culture and lifestyle to promote industrial safety.
Sandeep Kumar Rana, Chief Fire Officer, Dehradun, inaugurated the event as the ‘Chief Guest’ in the presence of Dr Nihal Anwar Siddiqui, Head, Department of HSE, students and faculty members.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Rana shared important safety tips with the students.
Dr Siddiqui added, “National Safety Week promotes safety to a great level by reminding the employers and employees of their legal and moral responsibilities.” He disclosed that safety week activities had contributed significantly to reducing the rate of industrial accidents and helped create widespread safety awareness even in the sectors that are yet uncovered under safety legislations. Administering the ‘Safety Oath’ to the participants, Dr Siddiqui urged them to make safety a ‘habit’ and not just a ‘policy’.
Three on-campus events were organised successfully focused on spreading awareness of health and safety amongst the students. The events included a quiz on topics such as Road Safety, Safety at the Workplace, Awareness on Personal Protective Equipments, and Safety in General. The ‘Safe & Fast Evacuation’event provided students with an experience to find their way through a series of hurdles while dressed in PPEs and saving a friend’s life in case of an emergency. The environment simulated the actual emergency scenario to give the students a real-time feel. The students learned the basics of First Aid, including CPR techniques. Various types of firefighting equipment, Personnel Protective Equipment, etc., were on display throughout the week along with the banners and slogans created by the students containing safety quotes. There was also an interactive session on health & safety matters.
The activities during the event were coordinated by the event Faculty Advisor, Arun PA, Assistant Professor, HSE. He was helped by Dr BP Yadav, Dr SM Tauseef, Akshi K Singh, V Krishnakanth, Prasenjit Mondal, Abhishek Nandan, Arun Uniyal and V Surendra. The student organising team included Kaushik, V Teja, Sharika, Sathwik, Akshay Nair and Prashanth Bind.
