The Pressing Want for Electrical Security in India’s Manufacturing Business – Firstpost

Between 2017 and 2020, accidents in India’s factories led to a mean of
three deaths and 11 accidents on daily basis. Much more troubling, electrical accidents account for practically
13 electrocution fatalities day by day, the very best in any nation on this planet. The Central Electrical energy Authority (CEA) information additional reveals that nearly
40% of office fatalities are attributable to electrical points, a matter of grave concern.

Having mentioned that, India’s manufacturing sector is rising quickly with an anticipated enlargement of 5% in 2024 and a rise in its share to  

25% of the nationwide financial system by 2025. Employment within the sector can also be on the rise, growing by
7.5% in 2022-23 alone. Nevertheless, as manufacturing surges, it’s placing increasingly employees in danger. If India is to realize its imaginative and prescient of turning into a worldwide manufacturing hub, electrical security should develop into entrance and centre.

Empowering Security in India’s Manufacturing Future

Recognising this, Polycab, India’s largest producer of wires and cables, in partnership with CNBC-TV18, has launched Infra Security: Powering India’s Electrical Future, a collection of conclaves to handle the pressing want for electrical security within the nation. After holding the primary conclave of this pioneering initiative in Mumbai in December 2024, Polycab introduced the second Infra Security Conclave in Chennai on January 7, 2025.

The discussions centered on manufacturing security with consultants from numerous sectors sharing their helpful insights. They included Gopa Kumar S, President of the Nationwide Federation of Engineers for Electrical Security, A Thanapal, Assistant District Officer, Tamil Nadu Hearth and Rescue service, and R. Balakrishnan, VP & Head, MEP design, L&T. The manufacturing sector was represented by Srivats Ram, Managing Director, Wheels India and Chairman, CII, Tamil Nadu, and RA Krishnakumar, COO, Chettinad Cement Company. They had been joined by Polycab’s Govt Director Nikhil Jaisinghani and Nationwide Head, Business Vertical, Harish Bhardwaj.

The panelists emphasised the significance of security requirements, system audits, and dependable electrical infrastructure. The conclave additionally highlighted improvements reminiscent of IoT and superior cabling options because the drivers of an electrically safer and extra sustainable manufacturing future for India.

Prioritizing Electrical Security

Electrical security in manufacturing should be seen as a strategic precedence, not simply an afterthought, said the panelists. Whereas initiatives reminiscent of Make in India 2.0 and Aatmanirbhar Bharat have laid the muse for industrial development and development, it’s crucial for India’s manufacturing sector to show its concentrate on the important position {that electrical} security will play on this progress.

Harish Bhardwaj, Nationwide Head, Business Vertical, Polycab, highlighted the severity {of electrical} accidents within the nation. He famous: “The statistics are clear. Electrical accidents declare greater than 5,000 lives yearly. And productiveness losses from disruptive energy can pull down revenues by 5-10%. These should not mere numbers; they characterize the human and financial price of security lapses.”

The trail to a safer, extra sustainable manufacturing future requires collective effort, nevertheless. This requires collaboration between the federal government, business leaders, security consultants and firms, and is crucial to drive change and create a tradition of security within the nation’s workforce.

Strengthening Infra-Security in Manufacturing

Pointing to India’s rising attractiveness as a worldwide manufacturing sector, which shall be pivotal for the nation’s development trajectory, Mr Bhardwaj famous: “International direct investments within the nation have grown considerably by about 69% over the past decade. Together with this, there’s additionally an enormous want for infrastructure development, and the federal government has been investing considerably on this house.”

On the identical time, India’s manufacturing scale-up requires an identical scale-up in security with the embrace of recent security standards_. “India is a good place to arrange manufacturing,”_ mentioned Srivats Ram, Managing Director of Wheels India and Chairman, CII, Tamil Nadu. “However as we develop and develop into extra aggressive, it’s important to instil a security tradition in manufacturing to make sure we develop safely.”

Whereas India’s aggressive benefit lies in its giant pool of expert expertise, by embedding security and ability growth into manufacturing practices, the nation can construct a safer, extra environment friendly business for long-term success.

Electrical Security: Shaping India’s Manufacturing Future

The conclave explored important points {of electrical} security within the Indian manufacturing sector, emphasizing the sector’s preparedness to satisfy world security requirements, the challenges confronted by producers, and the way these challenges might be become alternatives for development and world competitiveness.

Chettinad Cement’s R A Krishnakumar highlighted a constructive change within the sector’s strategy to electrical security. “Earlier, we had a reactive strategy to security, however now we have develop into extra proactive at the moment,” he famous.

Whereas acknowledging this pattern, R. Balakrishnan, VP & Head of MEP Design, L&T identified the challenges confronted by MSMEs with price constraints and the shortage of expert manpower appearing as vital obstacles. “The velocity at which we undertake and observe security measures will decide our world standing. Nevertheless, for MSMEs, restricted sources and consciousness usually hinder progress,” he mentioned.

Regulation and compliance

The Ministry of Heavy Industries’ upcoming regulation, efficient August 2025, goals to standardize Indian practices with world norms. Whereas this regulation will cowl over
50,000 varieties of equipment, smaller producers might face challenges with compliance prices and timelines.

Inserting the necessity for sturdy security audits and rules within the context of the nation’s emergence as an export hub, Gopa Kumar S., President of the Nationwide Federation of Engineers for Electrical Security, identified:  “In relation to exports, a powerful audit workforce usually evaluates manufacturing services to make sure compliance with worldwide necessities.”. Therefore, the panelists urged the federal government to introduce subsidies and rewards for factories with exemplary security data.

One other recurrent theme was the necessity to foster consciousness of the significance {of electrical} security. In a fireplace chat, Bhushan Sawhney, Govt President & Chief Enterprise Officer, Polycab, succinctly said: “India wants to usher in a security tradition which is totally different from having procedures and processes. Which means when individuals do their day by day grind, they consider the most secure strategy to do issues. Those that are from the manufacturing sector would have seen a distinction in how they go about issues at the moment in comparison with what they did, say, 10 years in the past.”

Mr Sawhney reiterated the significance of incentivizing security within the manufacturing sector to spice up consciousness. “The federal government ought to reward industries and factories that prioritize and excel in security measures. Creating consciousness concerning the significance of security is equally important,” he urged. “A Surakshit Bharat can solely be achieved when security begins from the producers,” he added.

Function of Automation, Cables, and Sensible Applied sciences

This requires three-fold motion, identified A. Thanapal, Gl Hearth E, MI Hearth E (UK), Assistant District Officer, Tamil Nadu Hearth and Rescue Service:  “In Tamil Nadu, practically 814 industries confronted fireplace accidents, of which 502 had been due to electrical hazards. How can we evade this? Electrical security is nothing however making use of the three Es – Engineering, schooling and enforcement.”

India has an extended strategy to go earlier than it meets world manufacturing requirements. Challenges like legacy equipment, outdated switchgear and low-quality elements persist. Nevertheless, improvements and know-how can play a vital position in bridging this hole. And the manufacturing sector can swiftly overhaul its security measures through the use of IoT-enabled gadgets and superior cables and wires to automate and rework its course of management, averred Polycab’s representatives. These good applied sciences can scale back electrical incidents, enhance productiveness, and create safer workplaces, aligning India’s factories with worldwide benchmarks and boosting the nation’s manufacturing fame.

Constructing a Tradition of Electrical Security in Manufacturing

Whereas electrical security is rising as the muse for world competitiveness in India’s quickly advancing manufacturing panorama, each step in creating a strong security tradition requires collective effort — one which should be formed by rigorous requirements, open communication, and forward-thinking innovation.

In accordance with Venkatesu C, Chairman of Electrical Security at FSAI, it should all begin with the fundamentals of integrity testing. “Integrity assessments make sure that not simply cables but in addition the equipment used can face up to hostile circumstances,” he defined. This precept kinds the groundwork, guaranteeing that security begins from the smallest elements and is constructed upward.

Nevertheless, security isn’t just concerning the gear, it’s additionally about empowering individuals. At FLSmidth Cement, security has develop into a neighborhood effort, revealed its Head of Manufacturing, Krishnamoorthy Rathinavel. “We share info within the native language with all employees. Common weekly conferences with blue-collar employees assist. We now have security neighborhood conferences each month the place we discuss enhancements, initiatives and implementing a security tradition.”

R. Gobinath from Optimum MEP Consultants pointed to the pivotal position performed by MEP consultants in bridging technical challenges and sensible realities. “Generally, consultants should take a agency stand. Whereas codes exist, adapting them for shoppers ensures higher understanding and avoids points like recurring lithium accidents,” he mirrored, highlighting the necessity to stability adherence and innovation.

The dialogue took a big flip with insights from Nikhil Jaisinghani, Govt Director at Polycab, Mr Jaisinghani additionally underscored the significance of addressing challenges as industries undertake new applied sciences. Proactively fixing these points is important to stop security lapses and sustaining progress. By adopting electrical security measures, India won’t simply enhance security but in addition construct its fame as a worldwide manufacturing hub. As Mr Jaisinghani aptly said: “Security is hygiene. It’s not one thing you count on; it’s one thing that’s there, must be there, and there ought to be completely no query of it.”

Because the Infra Security marketing campaign demonstrated, within the realm of producing, electrical security isn’t a luxurious or an afterthought—it’s a foundational component that should be built-in into each design, system, and protocol.