OCCUCLAVE: Creating A Healthier Tomorrow Through Occupational Health

The 5th Annual Conference of the Association of environmental and occupational health was held in Delhi with the theme of occupational health and safety beyond compliance.

The main objectives of the conference were to develop a platform to enable a dialogue between Policymakers, Public & Private sector on the role of Occupational Health professionals on creating a healthier tomorrow.

In an engaging series of panel sessions and talk, expectations and voices of the customer were captured to create a task plan focused on holistic development for 2018. A sharing of best practices across the health spectrum to the industry professionals took place with an endeavor to collaborate and create learning opportunities for industry professionals (Safety, Health, HR and others) for the year.

OCCUCLAVE was inaugurated by Shri. Pawan Kumar Agarwal -IAS, Additional Secretary & CEO, FSSAI -Food Safety Standard Authority of India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India along with the Guest of Honours Dr. Anil Kumar - DG Railway Health Services, Shri. Sudheer Garg - Joint Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Govt. of India, Shri. S.K. Awasthi - Executive Director Corporate HS&E, IndianOil, Shri. SP Garg CGM HSE, Gail India Limited, Shri. Sunil Kumar - President, BW BusinessWorld.

Dr. Pawan Agrawal founder and president Kamalabai educational and charitable trust, Mumbai gave a passionate keynote speech. He spoke on Mumbai dabbawalas applying six sigma principles and processes to optimize organisation in food supply chain management. He explained how the six sigma principles like passion dedication commitment time management, 100% execution, consistency, customer satisfaction and 100% retention lead to the achievement of successful supply chain management. Elaborating on the wonderful work ethic of work is worship employed by the dabbawallas, he stressed on the importance of viewing the customer as God. He said, "No alternate to hard work, importance to human values and there no gain without pain."

Director General Railway Health Services, Dr. Anil Kumar conveyed his best wishes for the association to take forward the workplace health and wellness and explained the novel and dedicated contribution of railway health services in this endeavour.

Joint Secretary, Sudheer Garg Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, complemented the association for its initiatives and offered to join hands and work in close coordination to take forward zero defect zero effect program of the Government of India. He proposed training programs for the administration on various topics like the importance of solar light, the importance of a tension free life and test labs supported by MSME to test food samples across India. He advised association to develop and formalise policy company norms and standards for procurement of life-saving equipment.

Addressing the gathering, SK Awasthi, executive director, corporate HS&E, Indian Oil stressed the importance of the theme occupational health and its implications in keeping an employee healthy.

SP Garg, CGM HSE, Gail India Ltd. suggested that association must take this drive to take occupational health procedures from formal to informal sector.

Highlighting the present scenario where the nature of the business is changing with social and emotional uncertainty of jobs, the growth of information and technology and the definition and scope of the occupational health is changing. Sunil Kumar, President, BW Businessworld extended all media support to reach out the message of the association.

The Chief Guest Pawan Kumar Agarwal, IAS, CEO, FSSAI proposed working in partnership with the association to implement the initiatives taken by the govt of India to provide safe and wholesome food for all citizens.

The conference accomplishments to initiate efforts for an MoU between FSSAI & IAOH (Delhi) to initiate a one-day training course on Food Safety, industry-specific collaboration towards anaemia free workplaces, finalization of AOEHD 2018 Plan which includes conducting two Thematic workshops (Clinical implications in Occupational Medicine, Happy & Healthier workplaces) an Annual Conference; identification and increased awareness towards continuous professional development of the industry health professionals in addition to Partnership with BW BusinessWorld (Media Houses) to enhance audience reach on various Corporate Health initiatives were all met.