Indian Chemical News (ICN), the most credible online media platform for Chemicals, Petrochemicals, and Energy sector, is organizing a virtual session on "HSE: Risks, Challenges, and Opportunities" on July 21, 2022 in the second edition of ‘NextGen Chemicals & Petrochemicals Summit 2022’. 

The two-day virtual Summit is organised on July 21-22, 2022 and the main theme is "Driving Sustainable Growth." One can register as a delegate for the virtual session by clicking on the link (https://www.indianchemicalnews.com/nextgen-chemical-and-petrochemical-summit-register )

The speakers for the virtual session are: Dr. Atul Srivastava, Former Head of the Department & Vice President - HSE & LP Engineering Reliance Industries Ltd.; Mukul Agrawal, President - Manufacturing, Deepak Fertilizers And Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd.; Ramdas Bhaurao, Jadhav, General Manager (HSE), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.; Dr. S. P. Garg, Advisor - HSE & Former Executive Director, GAIL (India) Ltd.; and Mukesh Kirar, Associate Vice President - HSE, SRF Limited. The virtual session is moderated by Pravin Prashant, Editor, Indian Chemical News.  

Chemical plants use harmful chemicals, solutions, and effluents and these are handled by workers as part of their daily routine. There are probabilities of sudden mishappening due to various reasons resulting in devastating consequences if suitable protection, safety precautions, and methods are not in place. Workers working in Chemical facilities are prone to potential dangers due to leaks, spills, and harmful chemical exposure that can cause grave injuries, permanent disabilities, acute health problems, and other physiological disorders.

HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) is an important aspect of all chemical and petrochemical companies right from storing of raw materials, manufacturing, storing of finished products, and transportation of finished products. Chemical companies do follow prescribed regulations and safety recommendations to formulate their own safety procedures and invoke several standard protocols to safeguard workers from accidents and health risks. These plants and processing units engage professionals to enforce safety regulations among workers. Despite this, there are reports of an increasing number of accidents almost daily in one or other parts of the world.

“There are areas of concern in this industry that include: dangerous materials, hazards of pressure vehicles, hazards in unit operations, corrosion hazards, confined space and sampling and gauging. Devastating effects can be prevented but they require proper awareness and planning. Proper labelling can potentially avoid accidents. Risk assessment, job hazard analysis and permits also play a vital role. The session will discuss preventive measures as well as strategy to minimize mishappenings,” said Pravin Prashant, Editor, Indian Chemical News.

The key discussion points for HSE session are: Identifying, assessing, and minimizing risks to employees and their surroundings; Designing processes and plant operations to minimize risks; Enhancing HSE skill and competence of employees through training; Support from government agencies, scientific institutions and international organizations; Regulatory framework and compliance of HSE regulations; Adopting suitable safety and environmental practices; Ensuring highest HSE standards in business operations; New risks due to energy transition; and Risks associated with digitization and automation.