FESA 2026 Seminar in Hyderabad Highlights Fire Safety in Pharma Sector

Hyderabad: The Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI), Hyderabad Chapter, in collaboration with the Council of EHS Professionals (CEP), organised ‘FESA 2026 (Fire, Electrical, Security and Automation) for Pharma’ in Hyderabad to address critical safety challenges in the pharmaceutical sector.

The one-day seminar brought together industry leaders, Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) professionals, fire and security experts, technology providers, and policymakers. The event was inaugurated by G V Narayana Rao, Director of Telangana Fire Services.

The inaugural session was also attended by Y Mohan Babu, Director of Factories, Department of Factories; Sarvesh Singh, CEO of Telangana Life Sciences; and Tapas Saha, President of CEP. Manoj Wahi, President of the FSAI Hyderabad Chapter, and Huzefa Hussain, Secretary of the FSAI Hyderabad Chapter, were also present.

Discussions at the seminar highlighted the severe fire and explosion hazards associated with pharmaceutical manufacturing. The industry involves flammable solvents, combustible powders, hazardous chemicals, high-temperature processes, reactors, dryers, pressure equipment, and extensive electrical systems. Experts noted that solvents can release flammable vapours, while active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients, and intermediates can generate combustible dust clouds during milling, granulation, drying, spray drying, and material handling. Additional operational risks identified include electrical faults, static electricity, hot work, equipment overheating, gas leaks, and poor housekeeping.

To address these hazards, FESA 2026 promoted a structured six-pillar safety framework. The approach focuses on preventing hazards, early detection, effective fire suppression, containment of fires and explosions, structured response through trained teams and drills, and recovery via business continuity and disaster recovery plans.

The seminar also showcased emerging technological solutions to help pharmaceutical manufacturing units transition from reactive firefighting to proactive and predictive safety. These included AI-based video analytics, thermal imaging, advanced fire and gas detection systems, automatic sprinklers, foam, water-mist, and clean-agent systems.