Pune: The CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune, successfully hosted National Safety Week 2025 from March 4 to March 10, reinforcing the importance of safety and well-being in achieving national development. This year’s theme, “Safety and Well-being: Crucial for Viksit Bharat”, underscored the significance of fostering a robust safety culture in workplaces and daily life.
Inaugurating the event, Dr. Ashish Lele, Director of CSIR-NCL, emphasized that Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) are fundamental to any organization. He warned that neglecting safety measures could lead to severe consequences, including business closures, job losses, and reputational damage. Dr. Lele urged that safety should be treated as a cultural value rather than an occasional practice, stating, “Safety should not be an afterthought—it must be learned, internalized, and applied in daily life.”
A major highlight of the event was the National Safety Day Talk, delivered by Mansukh Patel, Head of Sustainability & Corporate EHS at Hikal Limited. He emphasized that safety is a shared responsibility and highlighted the alarming rate of accidents in India. Road accidents claim approximately 150,000 lives annually. Industrial accidents result in around 50,000 to 55,000 deaths each year.
Addressing these concerns, Patel stressed the need for a cultural shift in safety awareness, where safety is not just a compliance measure but a subconscious behavioral instinct. He discussed different safety cultures, categorizing them into:
Reactive Culture – Responding to accidents after they occur.
Dependent Culture – Following safety rules under supervision.
Independent Culture – Taking personal responsibility for safety.
Interdependent Culture – A collective safety mindset where everyone looks out for each other.
