UL Workplace Convenes India Workplace Safety Council

CHICAGO (May 26, 2016) – With the second highest number of deaths and injuries in the world resulting from workplace related accidents and illnesses, safety is a rising concern for leading organizations in India. Without a solution, the number of workplace safety incidents will continue rising as the country’s workforce is projected to expand by 8 to 9 million people annually for the next 5 years, according to International Labour Organization estimates.

 

To address this growing problem, UL’s Integrated Health and Safety Institute (IHSI), in partnership with UL’s Public Safety Office in India, held the first annual India Workplace Safety Council meeting in New Delhi on April 7, 2016. The council aims to identify and develop solutions to key obstacles employers face in improving workplace safety and health. 

 

UL’s IHSI is conducting research, developing effective training material and assisting in the creation and implementation of better standards for workplace health and safety. Key works from IHSI, including the Standard for Integrating Health and Safety in the Workplace and the Integrated Health and Safety Index, help organizations make informed decisions to enhance safety in workplaces and reduce the number of safety and health incidents.

 

“Workplace safety is an escalating concern for many leading organizations in India, not only out of a sense of empathy arising from disabilities and loss of life, but due to the staggering cost to the Indian economy,” said Todd Hohn, IHSI’s global director. “The country suffers a loss of at least 4 percent of its annual GDP to workplace related accidents and injuries.”

 

The first council meeting was comprised of heads of corporate health and safety representing leading industry sectors such as pharmaceuticals, petroleum, power, and construction, along with leading representatives from the government of India.

 

The experts conceded that many companies fail to recognize the full economic impact of their lapses in safety, resulting in few changes to improve workplace safety regulations and little effort to determine the primary causes of workplace incidents. There is greater need for proactive research to help organizations make informed decisions to enhance safety in the workplace.

 

“As an organization dedicated to public safety, UL strives to bring our knowledge of best practices from around the world to the Council to ensure we all learn from mistakes that others have made and not repeat them ourselves,” said Hohn.