Unprecedented Growth and Progress Go Hand In Hand With Challenges Such As Huge Work Force In Unorganized Sector

We spoke to Giriraj Mall, Executive Director, Mallcom to understand his organisation’s journey over the years in increasing OSH awareness in India and across the globe, some of the new and innovative products they have proudly launched in the Indian market, the various test labs in their organization and the role played by them in ensuring adherence to safety standards for safety products and his views on OSH India expo and the work done by it in improving OSH aware-ness across South Asia.

Interviewed by Adeesh Sharma

1. Please tell us about your journey over the years in increasing OSH awareness in India and across the globe.

The occupation safety and health (OSH) scenario in India is complex. Unprecedented growth and progress go hand in hand with challenges such as huge work force in unorganized sector, availability of cheap labour, meagre spending on health, lack of reliable OSH data, multiplicity of statutory controls, apathy of stakeholders and infrastructure problems.

Mallcom over the years, in its own way, have contributed to the cause of increasing OSH awareness in India and across the globe by unique initiatives. Technical seminars at different locations across India and abroad have brought HSE professionals at a common platform, where Mallcom has always spoken about the importance of working safely. The target audience covered professionals form varied industries. The concept of celebrating “Safety Week” was a path breaking initiative by Mallcom, where the workers were the target audience and spreading the message of work safely. Though the project was for a week in a year, but had carried long term impression among the workers by way of touching base with them on regular basis. Regular participation in National and International exhibitions have also been an effort of Mallcom to increase safety awareness.

2. What are some of the new and innovative products you have proudly launched in the Indian market?

With an experience of more than 35 years in the field of manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE), Mallcom invests heavily in research and development of ergonomically safer products with improved performance.

In the light and medium duty manufacturing industries, we have seen an increased demand for seamless gloves with greater dexterity and increased cut resistance. Being a manufacturer, Mallcom has a technical competence in providing various grades of cut resistance. We use our proprietary yarn with blends of glass fibre, steel, polyester, spandex and high-performance PE fibres.

To meet new version of EN 388:2016 for impact resistance, Mallcom has also launched range of knuckle protections. The designing and development is done in-house and the production too is undertaken by the newly installed multi-colour injectors.

This year, Mallcom has introduced Sports Safety Shoes – a new generation range of knit- fabric based shoes with composite toe. Without compromising on the basic safety to the workers, the sporty safety shoes are available with multiple colour options that’s never seen in this segment.

3. Please tell us about the various test labs in your organization and the role played by them in ensuring adherence to safety standards for your products.

Mallcom is having its own test labs that are primarily focused on checking quality of raw material and its in-house production. The test labs ensure adherence to the EN or BIS or both norms as they are supposed to. Test lab facilities are available at all of manufacturing units and are being accredited to and calibrated by testing agencies of repute.

Randomized checking from batches of products that are being manufactured, development of new compounding materials, and a multiple array of testing are constantly being carried out by qualified professionals to ensure products that are going to the market are known for their quality. In addition to these, we do get the third party sample collection and testing for our range of products. Agencies like Intertek, SGS, Bureau Veritas etc had been conducting test on regular basis. Moreover, we are member of SATRA – a leading testing agency from the UK, specializing in footwear.

4. Please tell us about your views on OSH India and the work done by it in improving OSH aware-ness across South Asia.

As already mentioned, there are many factors, which are changing the industrial environment in India such as globalization, outsourcing, transfer of technology, newer types of jobs, change in employment pattern etc.

Additionally, factors like increasing literacy/ education has led to enhanced awareness and “Right to Know” demand from workers. It is at this juncture where OSH India is playing a positive role. Through its activities, OSH India is involved in creating awareness proactively influencing HSE policies through appropriate linkages, updating knowledge base of OSH professionals as well as the general public by organizing annual exhibitions in India and abroad since the last 10 years.