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HR Club Forum Discusses "Occupational Health and Safety in the Work Environment"

Monday October 30, 2017

The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources recently held the 4th Human Resources Club Forum 2017 entitled "Occupational Health & Safety in the Workplace", under the patronage of HE Ahmed Bahloul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, Chairman of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR), presence of His Excellency Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdul Manan Al Awar, Director General of FAHR, and dozens of HR Club members and associates.

The event included a discussion session which was moderated by Dr. Elie Ghosoub, Principal Consultant – Health, Safety & Risk Management Middle East (WSP), with the participation of Dr. Rob Kullin, Director of the Department of Health, Safety and Environment, Expo 2020, Mr. Mohammed Al Nakhi, Director of Safety, Health and Environment and Technical Director at British Petroleum, and Engineer Raed Mohammed Al Marzouqi, Head of Occupational Health and Safety at Dubai Municipality.

Speakers shed light on the best practices applied globally in the field of occupational health and safety in the work environment, and the basic principles for designing a comfortable work environment commensurate with the needs and requirements of employees and customers alike.

Moreover, they discussed the advantages of applying mandatory health and safety standards at the work environment, such as increasing institutional efficiency, reducing the proportion of potential risks, minimizing injuries and accidents in the workplace, ensuring employee wellness and improving performance and productivity levels”, he noted.

Raed Marzouki warns of wrong work practices that threat health and undermine productivity

Engineer Raed Mohammed Al Marzouqi, Head of Occupational Health and Safety at Dubai Municipality, praised the UAE Government's keenness on occupational health and safety in the workplace and its commitment to maintain the health and safety of employees and customers. He stressed the need for strengthening public-private relationship, in order to create an integrated system that protects health and safety of employees and customers against any potential hazards in the workplace.

Al-Marzouqi said: “The absence of a culture of occupational health and safety in the work environment negatively affects productivity of enterprises, as most work-related accidents and injuries occur due to the lack of employee awareness about appropriate health and safety conditions and procedures at the workplace. It is therefore highly important for organizations to develop plans and policies that will preserve the health and well-being of their human resources.

“Institutions must attract qualified and experienced professionals in the field of occupational health and safety in order to strengthen and consolidate this culture. Employees should be aware of the consequences of bad habits and practices that undermine health and negatively impact productivity. They have to change the culture of work, engage in different types of sports, avoid stress, positively handle pressure at work, and breathe deeply when feeling tired and under pressure”.

Rob Cooling: OHS lacks qualified personnel

Dr. Rob Cooling, Director of the Department of Health, Safety, Quality and Environment at Expo 2020 Dubai, believes that there is a great shortage of UAE nationals who are specialized in occupational health and safety. He called on the concerned authorities to increase awareness about the importance of this profession, as well as encourage citizens to join, and introduce specialized training courses in the field.

He said: “Most international organizations are aware of the importance of creating a sound culture among employees in the field of occupational health and safety in the work environment. They dedicate their full efforts to this noble goal by allocating budgets, developing policies and plans and taking measures to ensure a safe work environment for employees and all stakeholders. It is also highly important that the senior leadership in any organization must undergo comprehensive and intensive practical training in various aspects and areas of occupational health and safety”.

Mohammed Al-Nakhi: "OHS at work is the responsibility of all employees"

Mohammed Al Nakhi, Technical Lead for British Petroleum, UAE, said that the responsibility for maintaining a safe and risk-free work environment is not limited to the employees and coordinators of OSH, but extends to all staff and stakeholders.

He stressed the need for organizations to establish a culture of health and safety in the workplace from day one at the institution, be immediately engaged in developing a sense of responsibility for detecting, forecasting and reporting potential risks in the work environment. The induction program for new employees should focus on promoting occupational health and safety aspects among the staff, including practical training to instil this important culture.

Al-Nakhi also underlined that the leadership in any organization should adopt the best practices and procedures in the field of occupational health and safety, focus on raising awareness of employees at their different roles and grades, about the importance of OHS culture in enhancing an organization’s productivity and enhancing employee welfare. He cited the practice of some global organizations that conduct their annual performance review based on several occupational health and safety standards.

4 specialized occupational health and safety workshops

It should be noted that the Authority had held, on the side-lines of the forum, four specialized workshops on occupational health and safety in both Arabic and English, with the participation of dozens of OHS specialists and Federal Government employees. The workshops dealt with the following topics: psychological balance strategies, impact of office design on employee physical and mental health, workplace safety and job satisfaction, effects of noise on occupational health and safety, and disability-friendly work environment.

Human Resources Club

The Human Resources Club launched in 2010 is one of the most important strategic initiatives of the Authority. It is an interactive platform and an intellectual and knowledge communication channel that brings together interested people, human resources specialists and experts under one roof to share ideas, experiences and solutions that could enhance the roles assigned to human resources departments and other institutional service bodies across different sectors in the country.

The HR Club offers its membership, which has grown to over 12 thousand, an ideal opportunity to learn about the best practices, experiences and success stories of many individuals and institutions, as well as meeting with specialists and practitioners in the field of institutional work.

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