Safety issues in the workplace, the welfare of the workforce and the benefits of ensuring a secure and conducive work environment will be some of the key topics discussed at the IOSH Middle East Occupational Health Seminar, being held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, alongside Intersec 2014.
The one-day summit which is backed by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), will focus on topics related to Occupational Health that are vital to the Middle East region.
“Workplace safety is an issue that is of prime importance in a region which is in the midst of a period of sustained infrastructural and commercial growth,” said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Epoc Messe Frankfurt, organiser of Intersec. “Summits such as these, with the support of IOSH, play a significant part in raising awareness on the importance of a safe work environment and introduce the latest methods to enhance worker welfare and well-being.”
“The Dubai Expo 2020 will create approximately 277,000 jobs making this an even more essential topic in the near future. The safety and health for everyone involved in creating Expo 2020 will be taken as high priority and will be considered an integral component in the development surrounding the Expo.”
A recent study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), underlined the enormous costs of unsafe working conditions. According to the study, mishaps at the workplace are estimated to take the lives of over 2.3 million people annually worldwide, with over 317 million accidents taking place each year at worksites and offices across the world. Besides the human cost, accidents and poor safety practices are estimated to cost the world economy a loss of an estimated 4% of global GDP annually.*
The summit aims to enable regional occupational safety and health (OSH) practitioners to be more effective and proactive in preventing work-related ill health as well as empowering them to play a part in promoting health and good rehabilitation practices in their workplaces. OSH professionals are ideally placed to promote greater awareness of health and safety issues across the region's corporate leadership. They are also fundamental in supporting well-being in the workplace.
IOSH, is the world's largest health and safety membership organisation committed to creating a world of work which is safe, healthy and sustainable. IOSH was founded in 1945 and is a registered charity with international NGO status, with more than
42, 000 members in 100 countries.
Robert Cooling, Chair, IOSH Middle East, stated: “The IOSH Conference at Intersec represents an excellent forum for sharing health and safety information and best practice, as part of the ongoing drive to enhance health and safety standards throughout the Middle East region. With a particular focus on occupational health management, the event will provde practitioners with the tools and skills to ensure that health hazards and risks are effectively managed in their organisations.”
The conference programme will cover:
•Social responsibility: enhancing health in the workplace
•Health implications of noise exposure in the workplace
•Working at heights
•Heat stress
•Hand protection
•Stress management
The leading international trade and networking platform for the safety, security and fire protection industries in the wider region, Intersec 2014, which will take place in Dubai from January 19 to 21 is expected to be the largest edition yet with over 1,200 companies participating.
Brian Christie, Global Oil & Gas Solutions Director at G4S, commenting on the importance of workplace safety in the oil & gas sector, said: “In a recent Oil & Gas report by Ernst and Young, the number one risk to business managers in oil and gas developments was stated as “the risk of health, safety and environment incident”. The Security industry has a vital part to play in the provision of healthy and safe workplaces that will minimise the threat of environmental damage. Through improved use of security equipment and more highly trained security staff, the industry can raise security awareness and be at the forefront of minimising the risk of a health, safety or environmental incident through security breech.”
He continued: “The oil and gas industry has a good track record in managing day to day activities safely and securely. Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) standards have risen over the past 20 years and a culture of “behavioural safety” has been adopted by the industry. What is not well understood or managed is the prevention of a catastrophic situation such as a loss of life, large economic loss due to an unplanned shut down or reputational loss that can (and has) had significant negative effects on businesses.”
Intersec comprises of four main focus areas: Commercial Security & Information Security; Safety & Health; Fire & Rescue and Homeland Security & Policing.
With eleven events, Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's leading organisers of fairs and congresses for the expanding international field of safety and security technology. Eight trade fairs and three high-grade congresses in Germany, Asia, the Middle East and South America provide optimum opportunities for gaining a foothold in these dynamic growth markets.
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Posted on : Sunday, December 22, 2013 2:32:00 PM UAE local time (GMT+4)
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