Regular fire safety audit must in Pharma industry, says Telangana Fire Services DG
Hyderabad: Telangana Fire Services Director General Y. Nagi Reddy emphasized the importance of conducting regular fire safety audits within the pharmaceutical industry. Speaking after the inauguration of the two-day National Seminar on Fire, Electrical, Security, and Automation (FESA) 24—the largest seminar of its kind in India—organized by the Fire & Security Association of India (FSAI), Reddy urged industry leaders to harness technology for remote monitoring, maintenance, and continuous 24/7 vigilance.
Fire safety is everybody’s responsibility, he said fire is important in industrial safety in Pharma. In the past 10 years, 97 major fires broke out in Pharma industries, and Rs 93 crore worth of property was lost.
Handling fire in the pharmaceutical industry is difficult due to the different kinds of gases and chemicals used, the DG explained the Telangana Fire Service Act 1999. Section 13 of this act requires that buildings and hazardous industries must get an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the Fire Department.
According to another section 19, the owner or the occupant is responsible for the fire system in the establishment.
He spoke about the National Building Code 2016.
Pharmaceutical industries pose additional hazards compared to other industries, especially from the use and transfer of solvents. Hazards in this industry include fires or explosions in solvents or dusts. Several areas such as Cleanrooms; Laboratories; Warehouses; Utility/mechanical service rooms; Chemical rooms and Production areas need to be paid attention, Reddy added.
According to UNI, State Special Chief Secretary (IT and Industries) Jayesh Ranjan said “Many Pharma companies are under the watchlist of many European Regulators for non-compliance of ESG guidelines, which are low in those companies.
If not adhered they will stop importing pharmaceutical products from India. If that happens you will destroy your business prospects, he said.
In my interactions with Pharma companies, “I observed that they are facing a talent scarcity. Organisations like FSAI can address such concerns of the Pharma industry for effective fire safety”, he said.
Ranjan urged FSAI to get associated with Young India Skill University, which will be run on a partnership model. Unlike conventional learning, the way of learning here is through practice. FSAI can design some relevant, useful and customised courses, he said
The past Telangana government announced a Pharma city in 20,000-acre land but the new government would like to decentralise and set up Pharma villages, in some ten clusters. FSAI can help us with the best possible fire safety by suggesting a default design, the special CS said.
State Government Factories Director B. Raja Gopala Rao, who also graced the event, said more fire accidents are occurring in Pharma than any other sector.
FSAI is 22-year-old, a pan-Indian, not-for-profit non-profit trade body representing the Fire Protection, Life Safety, Security, Building Automation, Loss Prevention and Risk Management domains. It has 25 chapters and 10,000 members all over India said Srinivas Valluri, National President, of FSAI.
Hyderabad is the hub for pharmaceutical companies not only in India but in the entire Southeast Asia. A lot of fire accidents have occurred in the Pharma industries in the recent past. In this light of background this national conference is happening in Hyderabad, Srinivas said.
We are planning to open a Skill Development Center, a third one in Mumbai and another in Hyderabad very soon. We are also planning to open a Chapter in Dubai, he said.
The FSAI formulated the Suraksha Index (FSI), which is a comprehensive evaluation system that assesses the fire and security readiness of buildings, the National President added.
Prasad Nishtala, Chapter President, FSAI Hyderabad; Prasad Raju S, Regional Director-South, FSAI; Manoj Balakrishnan, Chair FSAI Branding;P. Sravan Kumar, Vice Chair-FSAI Operations and Chandra Sekhar K, Secretary FSAI Hyderabad Chapter said that 300 Senior Managers from various pharma industries are participating and deliberating in the seminar.
Representatives of over 100 pharma companies including 50 top pharma companies also participated.
Earlier, Nagi Reddy opened a fire safety exhibition.
Read also: Navigated explosion, toxic fumes, darkness to save life: Survivor of AP pharma unit disaster
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