By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 12 Mar: UPES celebrated the ‘49thNational Safety Week’ with great fervour from 4 to 10 March at its Bidholi campus, here. The weeklong celebrations conducted under the aegis of the ‘Department of Health, Safety & Environment’ (HSE) of the School of Engineering in the University were organised by the UPES ‘American Society of Safety Professionals’ (ASSP) Student Chapter. The motto of the ‘Safety Week 2020’ was to “Enhance Safety & Health Performance by use of advanced technologies”. Celebrated throughout the country, the event commemorates the ‘Foundation Day’ of the ‘National Safety Council’ that came into existence on 4 March, 1966 with an objective to ensure integration of safety and health in the work culture and life style to promote industrial safety.
Mohd Latif Choudhary, Chairman, Industries Association of Uttarakhand and Vice President (Operations), E-Durables Pvt Ltd, Dehradun, inaugurated the event as the Chief Guest in the presence of Dr Nihal Anwar Siddiqui, Head, Department of HSE, students & faculty members.
Welcoming those present, Dr Nihal A Siddiqui urged everyone to make safety a permanent habit and derive benefits in the long-term. Mohd Latif Choudhary talked about the ‘3R’ concept of ‘Right Location’; ‘Right Container’ and ‘Right Capacity’, as he briefed on the safety measures taken in various industries and on how the employees are encouraged to make safety their first priority.
The Chief Guest applauded the diligent efforts of the UPES ASSP Students Chapter, HSE, in organising the event successfully while sharing important safety tips with the students.
Dr Siddiqui said that National Safety Week is commemorated to encourage large public participation in understanding the safety roles in different industrial sectors as well as in their day to day lives. The Campaign aims at renewing the commitment of employees and general public to work safely. Safety week activities have contributed significantly in reducing the rate of industrial accidents and helped create widespread safety awareness even in the sectors that are yet uncovered under safety legislations. The campaign encourages development of specific activities by organisations as per their safety requirements. Reciting the ‘Safety Oath’ to the participants, Dr Siddiqui urged them to make safety a ‘habit’ and not just a ‘policy’. The ultimate objective of the Safety Week Campaign is to ensure integration of ‘Occupational Safety & Health’ in work culture and the life style.
All the participants took a safety pledge to reduce accidents and incidents for the welfare of themselves and the community at large.
Delivering a keynote lecture on ‘Defensive Driving’, Rajan Sablok, Cluster Head, DMC, Cholamandalam MS Risk Services, shared his insights on the topic with the students and faculty with the help of statistics on road accidents while also briefing them on driving rules. “Defensive driving is all about being able to defend oneself against possible collisions caused by bad and drunk drivers and the poor weather conditions. A good defensive driver is one who looks ahead and spots the potential hazards in time,” he added. The event marked the beginning of an array of events planned during March being celebrated as a ‘Safety Month’ at UPES. Various types of firefighting equipment, Personnel Protective Equipment, etc., were also on display throughout the week, along with the banners and slogans created by the students containing safety quotes on the importance of health and safety in industries, on roads and the day-to-day life.
Those involved in the organisation were Dr SM Tauseef, Dr BP Yadav, Tabassum Abbasi, Akshi Singh, Prasenjit Mondal, Abhishek Nandan, Arun PA, V Krishnakanth and V Surendar, as well as the ‘Student Organising Team’ comprising Nikhil Verma, Umamg Yadav, Sneha Shaji, Deepraj Sinha, Nagesh Bharadwaj, Anand K Jayan and Praharsh.
