Bengal floats safety kit tender

Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Government of West Bengal, has floated a tender for procuring equipment and safetywear, worth Rs 30 crore.

The department is in parallel setting up a college spread over 30 acre land, with an investment of Rs 200 crore, which will primarily deal with a degree course, conducting training programmes, related to fire safety.

There is enough manpower in the country but there is a derth of modern equipment and technology which is urgently required for maintaining industrial safety.

"We have floated a tender for procuring equipment and safetywear worth Rs 30 crore, for combating fire, which amongst others include a 70 metre ladder, a seven layer suit needed while entering fire and another 35 bouzers in addition to the already existing 21. It also includes procuring certain small equipment needed to combat fire", said Pratim Chatterjee, Minister for Fire and Emergency Services of West Bengal at a session on industrial safety organised by Confederation Of Indian Industries (CII).

The entire process will take 8-9 months before it is finally completed.

The budget allocated for this particular sector is Rs 120 crore and a lot more is required, to acquire modern technology and safety wear if hazardous events are to be avoided, added Chatterjee.

To minimise the ocurrence of fire related industrial hazard, there was urgent need for designers of factories and buildings to keep into account fire related safety measures, to protect human life and property, added Chatterjee.

Speaking on the occasion, O B Krishna, Chairman of CII-eastern region Safety and Health sub committee, said that according to a survey conducted by the International Labour Organistion (ILO), about 41000 workers die every year in India, due to industrial hazards and no safety measures and the number of people suffering from work related muscular skeletal disease is also very high. CII is holding this symposium to create awareness about safety measures which should be practised in industries, added Krishna.

CII is also thinking of coming up with a separate wing which will provide hand holding consultancy to the small and medium enterprises(SMEs) on safety related issues since they need to be provided with knowledge, skill and will, within a year, since talks are still in the early stage, further added Krishna.

Chairman of CII eastern region, Sandipan Chakroborty, said that a panel of safety experts would be formed in Kolkata to educate SMEs on safety measures and on identifying industrial hazards.