National Safety Week 2024: Date, History, Objectives And Theme

India observes National Safety Week every year between March 4 and 10 to raise awareness about principles of safety across sectors, including road safety, workplace safety, human health safety and environmental safety.

This is the 53rd year since the National Safety Week was designated. One of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is 'Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure'. The National Safety Council of India aligns its programmes and initiatives in line to achieve this objective.

The Ministry of Labour set up the National Safety Council of India (NSC), a non-profit organisation, on March 4, 1966. The day was born out of the Ministry of Labour and Employment’s inaugural industrial safety conference in India in 1972, which recognised the necessity for national and state-level safety councils. It has since become an annual event on the national calendar. The NSC's primary objective is to promote safety and health at work and create safe and healthy work environments. 

The fundamental objective of this campaign is to create, integrate, and strengthen the Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE) movement across organisations. The council has highlighted the following objectives:

• To take the Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE) movement to different parts of the country.

• To achieve the participation of major players in different industrial sectors at different levels.

• To promote the use of a participatory approach by employers by involving their employees in SHE activities.

• To promote the development of need-based activities, self-compliance with statutory requirements, and professional SHE management systems at workplaces.

• 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.

This year's theme is 'Focus on Safety Leadership for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Excellence'. At the national level, the council has organised public functions, discussions and debates, and seminars issuing appeals and messages.