The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) has launched the Occupational Health and Safety Manual for Federal Government during a press conference held recently at its Dubai offices. The conference was attended by HE Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, the FAHR Director General, HE Aiysha Al-Sewaidi, Executive Manager of Human Resources Policies Sector in FAHR and HE Laila Al-Sewaidi, the Executive Manager of Programs and Human Resources Planning sector in FAHR, together with a number of directors of FAHR departments and the Media representatives.
Dr. Al Awar has confirmed during the conference that the preparation of the Occupational Health and Safety Manual was the result of the cooperation with a number of federal ministries and federal entities and after reviewing the best international practices in this regard. The manual constitutes a guiding framework for the office workplace environment in federal ministries and entities, which would enable these entities to adopt the necessary preventive measures to create a healthy and safe working environment for all of its employees and its customers alike, in, in accordance with the highest standards of occupational health and safety in the work environment.
His excellence expressed his pleasure that the launch of the manual ensues from the keenness of the Authority to comply with the directives the Government of the United Arab Emirates regarding the need for integration of policies, legislation and regulations for the development and empowerment of human capital in the federal government. He pointed out that the manual consolidates and enhances the existing levels of occupational health and safety in the various work sites in the federal ministries and entities.
The Director General of FAHR stressed that this manual constitutes a point of reference and a guiding framework for office workplace environment in the federal government. He called upon all federal ministries and entities that have employees working in work environments that require special occupational health and safety regulations to develop their own regulations in this regard, provided that they adhere to the criteria and conditions included in this manual.
On her part, Aiysha Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of the Sector of Human Resources Policies in FAHR, confirmed that the authority has consulted the Office of the Prime Minister during the various stages of work on the preparation of this manual. The final document of the manual was submitted to federal ministries and entities for review before launching the manual.
She stated that FAHR has recently conducted a survey on the current situation and current practices applied in many of the federal ministries and entities with respect to occupational health and safety. FAHR also formed an advisory committee comprising of specialists from the ministries of Labor, Public Works, Health, and Environment, and the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, to discuss the requirements for the development of a general framework for occupational health and safety in the federal government.
Aiysha Al Suwaidi noted that the authority has conducted standard comparisons of the various occupational health and safety regulations applicable in a number of ministries, namely: the Guiding framework for occupational safety and health hazards in the Ministry of Labor; the policy for environment and occupational health and safety in the Ministry of Public Works; the integrated management systems policy in the Ministry of Environment and Water and the manual for the management system of occupational health and safety and the environment in in the Ministry of Finance. The committee has examined the best legislations and practices in various government and private entities, both locally and internationally, in the field of occupational health and safety, including some of the local authorities in the Government of Abu Dhabi, and energy companies, and the policy of occupational health and safety in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and companies specializing in health, environment and safety systems such as NEBOSH and AYOSH.
Moza Al Serkal, an expert in human resources working for FAHR indicated that the authority has held a series of workshops attended by representatives of federal ministries and entities to familiarize them with the mechanism of how the manual works and its most prominent features, as well as the ways of optimal application of the manual in these entities.
She said: "The manual is intended to protect employees, clients and visitors from injuries caused by the risks within office work environment, and taking into account all the requirements of occupational health and safety to ensure the existence of a sound and suitable work environment, and to ensure compliance with occupational health and safety criteria with the nature of office work in federal ministries and entities.
She added: "It also aims to raise awareness among all the employees of federal ministries and entities on the potential risks and accidents while performing their work duties, in addition to work on capacity building programs through awareness raising and providing training and motivation in order to reduce occupational health and safety risks within office work environment and to encourage continuous improvement in work environment".
Moza Al Serkal considered that the application of health and safety standards in the work environment has many benefits, including: the achievement of the general policy of occupational health and safety in the work environment goals, and increase institutional efficiency, and reduce the potential risk ratio, and the reduction of injuries and accidents in the workplace, and reducing the proportion of absent employees who suffer from chronic diseases, which would contribute to the retention of federal government employees and increase their productivity, as well as reducing the payment of compensation arising from the various work-related injuries.
Moza Al Serkal considered that the application of health and safety standards in the work environment has many benefits, including: the achievement of the goals of the general policy of occupational health and safety in the work environment, increase institutional efficiency , reduction in the potential risk ratio, the reduction of injuries and accidents in the workplace and reduction of the percentage of absence from work on the part of employees who suffer from chronic diseases, which would contribute to the retention of federal government employees and increase their productivity, as well as reducing the payment of compensation arising from the various work-related injuries .
She noted that the Occupational Health and Safety Manual for the federal government is based on a number of principles. Perhaps, the most prominent of which is that the workplace in all federal ministries and entities should be safe, healthy and secure and adhering to the guiding frameworks. Another principle is the development of the regulations and procedures for federal ministries and entities to fend against occupational health and safety risks in the office work environment, as well as achieving excellence in the field of occupational health and safety through innovative practices, and continuous improvement of services provided to all employees and customers with federal ministries and entities.
She explained that the role of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources regarding the application of occupational health and safety manual in the federal government is represented in the follow-up with the federal ministries and entities to determine the appropriate levels of what should be the occupational health and safety in those entities, to supervise the application of those levels, make sure of raising the level of awareness on the part of employees of their duties and responsibilities with regard to the content of the manual in federal ministries and entities and providing basic training programs related to occupational safety and health in federal ministries and federal entities to obtain specialized diplomas in this area during the fourth quarter of this year. She pointed out that FAHR has developed a control panel that enables federal ministries and entities to enter their own indicators for occupational health and safety.
With regard to the role of federal ministries and entities in the application of the manual, Moza Al Serkal stressed that these entities should strive to inculcate the culture of "occupational health and safety" among their employees by forming a team of occupational health and whose members have the skills and competencies that qualify them to perform the tasks assigned to the team. This could be done by providing the necessary training to obtain professional certification. It also involves guidance and coordination between all parties as to what included in the manual, and to enhance the application of the manual in the various departments within these entities, including periodic inspection of the premises of the workplace and the various activities performed to ensure the accurate application and the performance of all the requirements in all locations and workplace areas.
It is to be noted that the authority will hold a series of training workshops during the coming period for heads and coordinators of the Occupational Health and Safety teams in the federal ministries and entities, where two British institutions specialized in this area will undertake the task of providing training to qualify them to obtain specialized certification in occupational health and safety.