The CII Centre of Manufacturing Excellence (CME) successfully hosted the 10th Edition of the National Conference on Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) on 25 September 2025 in Mumbai. With the theme “OHS Excellence: Navigating Indian Industry Towards Viksit Bharat 2047”, the event convened over 150 OHS leaders, industry experts, and safety professionals to deliberate on how India can build a safer, more responsible, and globally competitive industrial ecosystem.

As India celebrates 11 years of ‘Make in India’, the spotlight on Occupational Health & Safety has grown sharper. Today, OHS is not merely a compliance requirement—it is a strategic enabler of sustainable manufacturing, contributing directly to productivity, reliability, and long-term competitiveness.

Setting the Tone: Leadership, Reliability, and Safety

The Inaugural Session provided the perfect start to the conference.

• Mr Anil G. Verma, Chairman, CII National Task Force on Industrial Safety & ED & CEO, Godrej Enterprise Group, in his Welcome Address, emphasized the pivotal role of leadership in embedding safety as a core organizational value. He highlighted how inclusivity, productivity, sustainability, and equity must be at the heart of India’s OHS paradigm.
• Mr Sanjay Khanna, Director (Refineries) with Additional Charge of CMD, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, delivered the Keynote Address. He underscored that reliability is the true differentiator for global partnerships and that safe operations are the cornerstone of building India’s reputation as a responsible global partner.

A major highlight was the launch of the State-Wise Workplace Accident Reporting Guideline, developed by the CII National Task Force on Industrial Safety. This pioneering framework, unveiled by Mr Verma and Mr Khanna, will help industries navigate state-specific accident reporting requirements, promoting greater standardization, transparency, and accountability.

Industry Perspectives: Visionary Leadership and Safer Workplaces

The morning panel discussion, “Visionary Leadership for Safe, Sustainable Growth – Perspectives on OHS and Viksit Bharat@2047,” brought together eminent leaders:

• Mr Ajith Kumar, COO, Birla Opus Paints (Aditya Birla Group)
• Mr Raghavendra Mirji, EVP & Business Head – Energy Solutions, Godrej Enterprise Group
• Mr Sanjiv Gupta, COO, Mahindra Last Mile Mobility
• Mr Lalit Kumar, Controllerate of Safety, Munitions India Ltd
• Mr Prakash Raman, MD, Silox India Pvt Ltd
• Mr Vivek Sarwate, Country Business Unit Head – Electrification & Automation, Siemens Ltd

Moderated by Mr Rajiv Suri, VP & Head of EHS, Siemens India, the discussion explored how culture-driven leadership and governance frameworks can accelerate India’s journey toward safer and more resilient industries.

The session was followed by an insightful segment on “Design Thinking Principles to Create Safe Workplaces”, anchored by Mr Sunil Kumar, Head of Safety, Tata Steel (Jamshedpur), with contributions from Mr A Harinarayanan, VP (Projects), ITC Paperboards & Speciality Papers Division. They showcased how human-centric design and innovation can make safety practices more effective and intuitive on the shop floor.

Sessions on Governance, Culture & Digital Transformation

The post-lunch sessions spotlighted the practical frameworks and new-age technologies shaping workplace safety:

• Safety as a Strategic Enabler for Viksit Bharat – Anchored by Mr Ashish Deshmukh, Head HSSE, BP, with contributions from Mr Upendra Singh (DGFASLI Mumbai) and Mr Suresh Joshi (DISH Kalyan), this session emphasized the importance of collaboration between industry and regulators for shaping competitive safety frameworks.
• Building a Safety-First Culture Across India’s Industries – Mr Rajesh Vaidya, CHRO & Head – Sustainability, Silox India, and Mr Sanjeev Raina, Head – Corporate HSSE & Sustainability, BPCL, shared how organizations can embed behavioural safety and employee engagement into their DNA.
• Digital Transformation and OHS – Next-Gen Safety Practices – Anchored by Mr Ansuman Ghosh, VP & Group Head Safety, Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt Ltd, with insights from Mr Hemant Narvekar (Siemens Ltd) and Mr Nitin Ramamurthy (Cloud Finch), this session showcased how AI-driven analytics, IoT monitoring, and predictive risk management systems are redefining safety practices.

Closing Reflections

In his Vote of Thanks, Mr Anil Verma extended gratitude to all speakers and participants. He reaffirmed that safety must be seen not as a compliance checkbox, but as a long-term business imperative. He called upon industry leaders to continue innovating and collaborating to ensure that India’s workplaces remain safe, resilient, and globally competitive.

Towards Viksit Bharat 2047

The 10th Annual OHS Conference was not just a milestone of ten years of thought leadership—it was a reaffirmation of the collective industry resolve to align safety with India’s growth story. As India progresses toward Viksit Bharat 2047, the emphasis on safety, reliability, and responsibility will remain central to achieving sustainable industrial excellence.

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