Doha, Qatar - 11 March 2013: QPM - one of the region's premier project management companies and the first Qatari firm in the field - is pleased to announce its partnership in yesterday's HSE in Construction Qatar conference, which took place at the Oryx Rotana Hotel.

The summit was delivered under the title of: 'Delivering projects safely and in an eco-friendly manner to meet the highest expectations through effective technology and people management', and comprised a full day of events on the subject.

The official opening ceremony and keynote speech were given by the Chairman of QPM, Mr Ahmad Al Abdulla. Mr Al Abdulla's address focused on Delivery of the 2022 FIFA World Cup as well as the Qatar National Vision 2030 and how this entails the significant volume of works to be delivered that is attracting world attention and placing Qatar on world stage. Further, the growth in the Qatari market is catching up with the UAE to become the second largest market in the GCC behind KSA.

"Delivering this large portfolio in the required time frame imposes great challenges for the country in many aspects including Health Safety and Environment which will ultimately be a legacy for Qatar," said Mr Al Abdulla.

"Therefore, executing the works safely, with zero injury, whilst mitigating impact on the environment for our future generations, is paramount.  These challenges do not stop on the construction site but rather extend to end use and the performance of the buildings created, and logistics involved in creating them. Safety and Environment starts at the design table, to create buildings and developments that provide a safe environment for end users and disabled personnel," he said.

Other speakers at the event included experts such as Eng. Mohamed Ahmed Al Sayed , the Director of Doha Municipality, Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Mr Salah S. Nezar (LEED AP, QSAS CGP), the Sustainability Director of QPM; Mr Steve Wood, Director of Safety Health and Environment, Middle East for Aecom; Mr Matt Terry, the HSE Manager of Lusail City; Mr Tony Morris, the International Director of Hilson Moran; Mr Martin Hay, an Associate Director of the Qatar Green Building Council; Mr Benjamin Legg, IMS Director for Middle EastNorth Africa of Al Futtaim Carillion LLC; Mr Aziz Zerban, the MENA Region HSEQ Manager, CH2MHill; Mr Noel Brennan Q22 H&S Manager for CH2MHill, and many others.

Topics discussed at the conference included: Analyzing the past to help predict the future; Chartering outdoor comfort contours for a safer construction industry; Shaping the safety culture of your business through leadership and improving execution of safety management; Implementing behavioral safety programs to minimize injuries on construction sites and ensure workers' welfare; Implementing essential strategies and measures for working at height safety; Adopting green practices across construction projects in Qatar to manage environmental impacts, and 'Challenging Games' Transitioning Health & Safety on the London Olympics from construction to operations - the latter with an eye on the upcoming 2022 World Cup - and more.

The program of talks and workshops was interspersed by abundant opportunities for open networking among the present delegates. The final event of the afternoon was a panel discussion which examined the basic features for the implementation of an HSE plan, including: Tackling the issue of the language barrier to improve communication onsite and thus maximize efficiency of educational activities; Providing HSE training to enable people to safely undertake their work activities, and hiring well-trained and certified employees with relevant competencies to ensure the right people have the right job.

Mr Al Abdulla commented: "QPM was delighted to be a partner in the HSE in Construction in Qatar event. HSE in the workplace is of increasing importance globally, regionally, and especially in Qatar, with the amount and extent of developments taking place here that require adherence to the most modern standards of HSE implementation.

"QPM is hugely active within Qatar in terms of the number of developments we're involved in so it made sense to partner with the conference. Much was learned by our associates present and we intend to apply this new knowledge to our existing HSE activities."

-Ends-

© Press Release 2013