"Making Safe Machines a Standard" Study Launched in India

On 5 December, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the Indian Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and the Indian Ministry of Labour and Employment came together in New Delhi to launch the publication Making Safe Machines a Standard in India.

The participating government and industry representatives and experts found the publication well timed and insightful as it provides an overview of the regulatory framework and standards landscape for machinery safety in India and the European Union and includes specific recommendations for cooperation activities between India and Germany. The publication was conducted within the framework of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure in collaboration with the German Engineering Association, VDMA.

Dr Avneesh Singh, Director General of the Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Ministry of Labour and Employment, shared the legal provisions in India related to machinery safety. He appreciated that India and Germany collaborate on this crucial topic. Machines alone account for 30 per cent of the bilateral trade volume, and the prospects for Indo-German cooperation in this sector would be promising, highlighted Mr Helge Engelhard, Head of Sub-Directorate General at the BMWi. Mr Rohit Kumar Parmar, Senior Economic Advisor of the Indian Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution emphasised the importance of machinery safety, citing examples from various sectors.

The panel discussion with stakeholders from the National Standards Body of India, the industry and experts from Germany and India was moderated by Mr Rajesh Nath, Managing Director at VDMA India. The speakers came to the conclusion that all the stakeholders can together develop a roadmap for strengthening machinery safety in India. Key aspects, which would need to be considered, are regulations and the role of standards, awareness among users, and support mechanisms for the industry for the adoption of good practices through user guidelines.

The event “Making Safe Machines a Standard in India - Insights from Germany and India” took place within the framework of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure in cooperation with the German Engineering Association, VDMA.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – the German Agency for International Cooperation – has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to support the implementation of the Global Project Quality Infrastructure in Brazil, China, India and Mexico.