National Safety Day 2023 Observed on 4th March

National Safety Day is observed on March 4 annually with an in aim to promote safe working environment and ensure safety of people in all aspects. National Safety Day 2023 is marked to raise awareness about safety measures and protocols so that any kind of untoward incident can be averted. The campaign is comprehensive, general and flexible with an appeal to the participating organisations to develop specific activities as per their safety requirements. This year will mark the onset of the 52nd National Safety Day.

National Safety Day 2023: Theme

The theme for 2023 National Safety Day is ‘Our Aim – Zero Harm’. Every year, the National Safety Council of India (NSC) publishes the theme of National Safety Day and urges organizations to lead the safety campaign to educate people about industrial safety.

National Safety Day: Significance

The occasion serves an opportunity to highlight the importance of safety measures and precautions in preventing mishaps. It is geared towards increasing the reach of the Safe, Health, and Environment (SHE) movement. Other objectives of the day include bringing together stakeholders from different industrial sectors and encouraging them participate in the SHE movement. It also aims to promote SHE activities and remind employees, employers and everyone concerned that they must take adequate steps to achieve a safer workplace.

National Safety Day: Objectives

• to take Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) movement to different parts of the country.
• to achieve participation of major players in different industrial sectors at different levels.
• to promote use of participative approach by employers by involving their employees in SHE activities.
• to promote development of need-based activities, self-compliance with statutory requirements and professional SHE management systems at work places.
• to bring into the fold of voluntary SHE movement sectors, which have not so far been statutorily covered.
• to remind employers, employees and others concerned of their responsibility in making the workplace safer.

National Safety Day: History

In 1965, the Ministry of Labour and Employment of the Government of India organized the first Conference on Industrial Safety. It was held from December 11 to December 13 in cooperation with employers’ organisations, state governments, and other trade unions and institutions. In the conference, the various bodies realized the need for setting up National and State Safety Councils.

The proposal for a National Safety Council (NSC) was accepted by the 24th session of the Standing Labour Committee in February 1966. On March 4 that year, the Ministry of Labour constituted the NSC, which was first registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and then as a public trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950.

The National Safety Day was first marked in 1971 to commemorate the founding of the National Safety Council and raise safety awareness.