Middle East conference will focus on improvements to Dubai health and safety culture
Leading international health and safety organisation the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health will host a major construction conference, 'Building towers, raising standards' (15th January) as part of Intersec at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event will bring together experts from across the world and the UAE to underline the need for businesses to improve the safety culture and avoid construction tragedies.
Ray Hurst, international President of the Institution of Occupational safety and Health, said: "IOSH believes that there are three key elements to embedding health and safety into the organisational culture: decision-making which is based on competent advice, people at the top being clear about their duties, and educating tomorrow's business leaders about health and safety. Our conference programme will deliver some great examples of local best practice, in the many construction developments in Dubai and in terms of corporate management."
Speakers include Dr Chris Doyle, founder of the BuildSafeDubai initiative, which is aiming to lead improvements in the business approach to building safety. He said: ""The construction industry is a key driver of the Dubai economy. No-one within this economy wants to see workers killed or injured and the BuildSafeDubai initiative has demonstrated that many construction stakeholders have agreed that there is 'no intellectual property in safety' and that by sharing best practice we can all be part of the safety solution for Dubai. Spending money on creating the right safety environment can help ensure a project is completed on or ahead of time.
"Any self respecting organisation has a safety culture driven from the top down and with a structure reliant on properly qualified health and safety professionals who are driving change and best practice delivery. IOSH has made a significant contribution to helping drive up professional safety standards and their name gives assurance to those within the industry."
Among those speakers sharing best practice will be Wayne Harris, General Manager, Corporate Safety and Health at Nakheel who have more than 1800 employees and project US$60 billion worth of major projects under development. Nakheel's portfolio includes the iconic waterfront developments The Palm Trilogy, The World and Dubai Waterfront. Once complete, Nakheel's developments will add more than 1,000 km of beachfront to the Dubai coastline.
IOSH established a Middle East branch in 2006, including a strong presence in Dubai, not only bringing networking opportunities closer to home but also facilitating the drive for greater health and safety standards. IOSH Dubai representative Aziz Zerban will chair a panel discussion on safety in the Emirates. Aziz is a chartered member of IOSH and works as Regional Health and Safety Manager at EC Harris International.
According to International Labour Organisation statistics there are 2.3 million work related deaths each year worldwide and 350,000 fatal accidents. From a sector perspective, construction is the most hazardous industry to work in with an estimated 60,000 fatal accidents globally each year - this equates to a fatal accident every 10 minutes and 17 % of all fatal accidents at work. The economic costs of accidents and ill health at work amounts to 4% of the world's gross domestic product. This doesn't take account of the human suffering involved.-Ends-
Editors Notes
IOSH is Europe's leading body for health and safety professionals. We have over 31,000 members worldwide, including more than 11,500 Chartered Safety and Health Practitioners.
The Institution was founded in 1945 and is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that sets professional standards, supports and develops members and provides authoritative advice and guidance on health and safety issues. IOSH is formally recognised by the ILO as an international non-governmental organisation.
For more information, please contact:
Malcolm Adcock
IOSH media manager
Email: malcolm.adcock@iosh.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)7703 357 967 in Dubai.
Anne Smart
IOSH UK Media office
Tel: +44 (0)116 257 3100.
© Press Release 2008
