SNIEC puts safety first

SNIEC vowed to improve work safety standards to ensure a better environment for its stakeholders. As part of the improvements, SNIEC launched a work safety video in early June to provide workers with instructions on work site safety and hazard prevention.

The move was in response to the nation’s annual “safety work month” in June. The cartoon video presented common exhibition construction accidents, including construction site falls, electrical accidents and crane and vehicle accidents. In the video, SNIEC invited experts to demonstrate how to properly handle equipment and machines to avoid accidents.

“It (the video) is not commonly seen in the exhibition industry. It shows that the management team considers work site safety as a very important part of the centre’s daily operation,” said an industry expert.

“It is an educational, precautionary and impressive onsite work safety video. I think the video gives guidance to clarify working procedures in construction,” said Michael Kruppe, general manager of SNIEC. “It will generate positive effects in accident and hazard prevention at SNIEC.”

“After watching the video, workers will have more knowledge about onsite work standards. They know their dangerous actions will bring very serious outcomes,” said a manager from an exhibition construction company in Shanghai.“The video is very useful for both construction companies and workers.”

OPPORTUNITIES AND PROBLEMS

Since the 1990s, China’s convention and exhibition industry has rapidy developed at a double-digit growth rate along with economic globalization and China’s booming economy. Data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that 7,319 exhibitions and expos of various types were held in China in 2013, an increase of about 63 percent from 2008. The nation’s total exhibition area has also doubled from that in 2008, reaching 93.9 million square meters in 2013.

The growing exhibition market has created business opportunities for exhibition booth construction companies. In the past, many unqualified businesses rushed into the booth construction sector and caused problems. Industry insiders said many unprofessional companies do not apply strict rules for onsite work safety, onsite material management and staff management, which led to many accidents across the country.

On June 10, a booth at the Guangzhou Lighting Exhibition collapsed. Although there were no injuries reported in this case, the collapsed booth affected neighboring exhibitors’ plans. On June 5, a booth at the 12th China Wuhan International Aftermarket Expo 2015 collapsed and caused injuries.

Kruppe said he believes that work safety is closely related to different parties and it is a key factor that affects the sustainable development of the industry. “The working environment in the exhibition centre is labor intensive and often involves short construction periods, which means it is very easy to have an accident. Any administrator or individual’s negligence could cause an accident,” Kruppe said.

In the past few years, SNIEC has committed itself to building a safe working environment and urged construction companies to follow its instructions and advice.

OTHER MEASURES

The centre also partnered with local administrative departments to strengthen work site safety management and apply strict assessment procedures to eliminate potential risks.

For instance, it strengthened its onsite safety inspection mechanism and expanded its inspection team. Companies are now required to stop construction and fix any problems if accident risks arise. “During the move-in and move-out period, SNIEC will arrange an inspection team with more than 30 security staff to patrol the exhibition venue. We will stop dangerous activities and require companies to correct them immediately,” said a manager surnamed Tang from SNIEC.

In addition to reminding workers to pay attention to safety, the centre also hands out safety standards booklets to urge companies to pay more attention to onsite safety management. “SNIEC is paying much more attention to work site safety and spares no efforts to promote the awareness of the importance of work safety.

SNIEC is also proactive in pushing safety administration standards for the exhibition industry,” said a construction business manger. “Workers have to wear safety belts and safety helmets before entering the working site. They will be cautious when moving up and down the scaffolding,” he added.

Kruppe said during the past decade, SNIEC has improved onsite work safety management and maintained control over the safety hazard prevention system. “Although everything is within expectations, and so far so good, we should be cautious in safety management.

We will have stricter evaluation mechanisms to maintain our good performance in the future,” he said. “We are responsible for providing a safe environment to our staff and clients. We will continue to impose strict rules for onsite work safety management to maintain sustainable development of China’s exhibition industry,” Kruppe said.

 

(Source: SNIEC Tradeshow Express, July 4, 2015)