As part of National Safety Week, the Department of Chemistry, VIT-AP University, in collaboration with Deccan Fine Chemicals and the American Chemical Society (ACS), is organizing an Employee Development Program (EDP) on Scientific Safety from March 10 to 15, 2025.

The program aims to raise awareness about workplace safety, risk assessment, and hazard mitigation strategies, catering to professionals from academia, research laboratories, petrochemicals, and industrial sectors. Renowned experts such as Dr. Krishna Raghav Chaturvedi, Outreach Manager, American Chemical Society (ACS), India, Ms. Kalyani Martinelango, Associate R&D Director, Engineering & Process Science, Dow, USA, Mr. Deepak Sharma, Deputy Manager, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), India, Ms. Yutika Kamat, Manager, PHS Department, Deccan Fine Chemicals, India, Mr. Girish Joshi, Executive Engineer (Production), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) are leading sessions on critical safety protocols and best practices.

The inaugural session was graced by Prof. S. Srinivas, Dean, SAS, who emphasized the importance of safety in scientific environments. Dr. M. Venkata Rajanikanth, Associate Dean, SAS, addressed the gathering, followed by a felicitation speech by Dr. Jayant Durgaram Umarye, Director-T&E, Deccan Fine Chemicals. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Illa Ramakanth, HoD, Department of Chemistry.

Speaking about the initiative, Dr. Ritambhara Sharma, Dr. Soumyakanta Prusty and Dr. Sabeel M Basheer, Convenors of the event stated, “National Safety Week provides the perfect opportunity to reinforce the importance of safety practices in science and industry. This program equips participants with essential skills to foster safer workplaces.”

The event has attracted participants from diverse backgrounds, including researchers, faculty, industry professionals, and students, all eager to enhance their knowledge of scientific safety regulations and implementation strategies.