Dr?ger, an international leader in medical and safety technology, is well equipped with its expertise, knowledge and high-quality equipment to help customers manage safety, emergency and disaster challenges. Dr?ger equipment offers personal protection and enables its users to rescue and save lives even under the most extreme and difficult conditions. An eInterview with Shreesh Nadgouda, Executive Vice President, Draeger Safety India Pvt Ltd. Excerpts...

Why is safety important in today's business environment?

The word 'Safety' can often define the culture of the organisation and therefore a trend towards increased safety awareness can be observed. With the rapidly developing industrial infrastructure, there is an increased need of safety for the industrial workforce to prevent mishaps, accidents and near misses happening in challenging work environments. Safety in India, however, isn't given the importance that it commands, mostly because of lack of awareness. There is a need to increase safety awareness amongst key stakeholders in industries.

In this direction, Draeger has recently flagged off 'Mission Suraksha', in association with the National Safety Council, aimed at increasing awareness about safety across key industrial belts of India. Mission Suraksha has already embarked on its journey completing its first phase in Gujarat. And the mission is to cover the major industrial belts over the course of the next 18 months.

Also, most of the safety events are conducted in the metro cities and often due to their busy schedule, the industrial workforce is unable to attend them, thus getting fewer opportunities of knowing the latest trends in safety technologies. Mission Suraksha would help us discuss technological trends in safety, with people who matter and people who care for the safety of their co-workers, at their site. We are confident that the roadshow truck will provide an opportunity to everyone at the industrial sites to know the latest safety technologies

What are the latest products that your company offers in this space? What is the USPs?

Draeger is a 126 year safety company driven with the guiding philosophy of 'Technology for Life', which aims at using the highest quality technology in saving enhancing human life. The entire basket of Draeger products is all designed to provide comfort, reliability and trust that our customers are so used to from Draeger as a provider of life saving products. The range is vast - from breathing protection solutions to detection solutions and rescue - to name just a few.

Dr?ger's Breathing Apparatus has the highest recall in the industry. It commands market leadership position not only in India but also globally. It has been our pioneering product in the Safety Division, which has saved hundreds of human lives ranging from various industries like fire fighting to industrial and rescue operations in mines and petrochemical industries. Continuous emphasis on R&D and persistent innovation has helped us to be the preferred vendor at all our customer base. The feedback that we receive from the industry propels us to innovate our products every year.

We recently launched the Escape Mask (Parat? Mask), which is uniquely designed to be an ideal escape tool during fire emergencies. Similarly, we introduced communication systems in breathing apparatus and also offered an upgrade module for our customers to upscale their breathing apparatus keeping it in sync with the latest communication technology and more ergonomically designed back plates. It is an on-going and elaborate process and we intend to constantly launch innovative products on a regular basis.

What about disaster management?

To be prepared to face and respond to disasters has been Draeger's forte since many decades. Be it equipping the rescue team in a mine disaster with the appropriate safety equipment or partnering with fire services to be able to rescue and save lives or even build rescue shelters wherein human lives could feel shielded in safe havens, as in a probable burst of H2S gas on an offshore platform. Draeger products are designed to save, support and safeguard human life.

Disaster management needs multidisciplinary inputs and interdisciplinary coordination, effective information processing and management system and integration with the holistic multi hazard disaster management framework along all stages starting from hazard/risk assessment, prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, relief and rehabilitation and within the broader framework of planning and development at local/regional level.