Debasish Gupta, Division Manager – PSD, 3M India Region talks about changes in OSH behaviour across organisations in the aftermath of the pandemic, the focus areas in the ‘New Normal’, new products/solutions they plan to launch for the industry in the near future and their plans to raise awareness around OSH in the Indian industry.

Interviewed by Adeesh Sharma

1. What new changes/patterns have you observed in OSH behaviour across organisations in the aftermath of the pandemic?

We do see some new patterns and changes emerging and there are 3 principal reasons for increased demand in the Industrial sector. The first factor is that - Covid has made Indians generally and industrial customers more conscious about their safety requirements. The second is Government of India’s focus on improving worker safety. This is not only increasing regulation but also improving compliance. GOI initiatives like Ministry of Labour and employment’s standards for occupational safety & health is strengthening the regulation in India. Thirdly most of the organized industrial groups in India have started appreciating safety as a business continuity requirement and not just a compliance criterion. The concept of safety in the SME sector has been traditionally low. This sector needs a lot of education, training and hand holding from all the stake holders. We definitely see this not only as a challenge but also as an opportunity to upgrade the safety standards in the SME sector.

2. What are your focus areas in OSH for Indian organisations?

As far as standards are concerned, though we have our own bodies, we still need to upgrade our standards to be at par with developing countries. Apart from the focus on performance standards we will also have to look at design standards. For eg with ref to a respirator does one size fit all. When we have S/M/L/XL in clothes we need to think about the Indian face profiles and design our solutions accordingly. At 3M we strive to drive the science of fit between product design and the actual user interface to enhance safety performance while increasing comfort. This is harming the user first & foremost and then definitely to the industry in general. Imagine a user wearing such PPEs & walking into a hazardous area feeling the confidence of being protected. It can create more harm to the user than him not wearing any PPE. This damage is not only done using spurious or nonperforming PPE but also by those performing inconsistently. What gets sent to lab for getting certification is exactly what should be sold in the industry. Certifying bodies should do frequent checks by collecting samples from the outlets and validating their performances. There should be heavy penalties resulting into termination of certification if inconsistencies are found. Spurious and non-approved product should be actively removed from the market by certifying & enforcement bodies. If enforcement body have doubt in performance of specific product during their industrial audits, they should send samples to the testing labs for validation.

3. What new/innovative products you plan to launch in the near future?

3M Innovation drives new product designs keeping customer experience, fit and use in mind.  This process is part of our new product introduction matrix. Recently we have launched new range of eyewear and respirators in India which we used to promote in other countries. These fulfil current needs as well as promotes the evolving trend of improved aesthetics in PPEs. We set our plans keeping mid to long term goals. The plans related to portfolio & customer segment are set keeping emerging opportunities. Our growth plans are aligned with shift in customer awareness and emerging need towards health & safety. We feel privileged to be in a space where we can protect people’s health & safety. We are working on changing the perspective of industry leaders from “Safety being a cost” to “Safety being a differentiator, a life saver & part of overall corporate strategy”.

4. How do you plan to raise awareness around your products in the Indian market?

Covid has made industrial employees more conscious about their safety requirements. People who Were earlier reluctant to use respirators are now using them regularly. We are also seeing enhanced change frequency. This means employers who were using the same PPE for 4-5 days are now changing almost every day or in 2-3 days. Personal safety behavior because of Covid is translating to their workplace habits fueling usage. Not only respirators but Covid has increased awareness and usage of eye wear and coverall safety products also. Ministry of Labour and employment has formed a committee to look into and frame the standards for occupational safety & health. Once this committee provides its final recommendations and these are enforced there will be an increased adoption of safety solutions.