In the picture (L to R): Mr. Santosh Kotre, Director, Finance and Accounts, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai; Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai and President, All India Association of Industries (AIAI); Ms. Sangeeta Jain, Senior Director, All India Association of Industries; Dr. Lalit R. Gabhane, Director General, National Safety Council, India; Ms. Priya Pansare, Director, Trade and Investment Promotion, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai.
Mumbai, 22nd May 2026: MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai and All India Association of Industries (AIAI), in association with National Safety Council, India organised a knowledge Session on “Leadership Role to Engage, Educate and Empower to Foster a Culture of Safety in Industries”. The session focused on creating a proactive safety culture in Indian workplaces.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Lalit R. Gabhane, Director General, National Safety Council, India, who said, “The National Safety Month 2026 theme, ‘Engage, Educate and Empower to Enhance Safety Performance’, must become the foundation of every workplace safety culture. With more than 1,000 workers losing their lives every hour due to occupational causes, industries must move beyond compliance and focus on awareness, training, prevention and empowering every employee to act responsibly.”
“Safety leadership refers to the ability of leaders at all levels of an organisation, whether top management, supervisors, team leaders, engineers, HR professionals or even informal leaders, to influence, inspire and guide people towards maintaining a safe and healthy work environment,” said Dr. Gabhane.
Dr. Gabhane said, “Unsafe behaviour accounts for nearly 88% of industrial accidents, unsafe conditions contribute 10%, and other causes 2%. Safety-focused leadership can reduce incidents by up to 71% and improve productivity by 21%. For Viksit Bharat, every Indian workplace must become safe, productive and globally competitive.” He also highlighted the NSCI Safety Awards across Manufacturing, Construction, MSME, Service and Women in Safety, recognising organisations and professionals for excellence in workplace safety.
Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai and President, All India Association of Industries (AIAI), said, “Safety is the prime need of every enterprise, industry, business establishment and even housing society. Safety norms are the need of the hour. This is one of the greatest preventable human crises of our time. In India, MSMEs as well as large industries are increasingly following safety practices, but we need to create need-based safety models that are practical, affordable and easy to implement. We must create awareness and a conducive atmosphere where people willingly follow safety standards. The approach must move from punitive to progressive, where safety is seen not merely as compliance, but as a shared responsibility and culture.”
The session was followed by an interactive Q&A and concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms. Priya Pansare, Director, Trade & Investment Promotion, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai. In her remarks, she emphasized that safety must be treated as a priority for industrial progress and productivity, adding that safer workplaces are essential to building a resilient and developed Viksit Bharat.