Nearly two-thirds of worksite accidents in Bahrain are not reported by the employers, either due to fear or ignorance, according to an expert.
Most of the cases are reported by police stations or hospitals, said Bapco Working at Heights specialist Jack Waldron.
A total of 367 worksite accidents were recorded last year, compared with 388 in 2017, according to the Labour and Social Development statistics.
Of these, two-thirds were reported from police stations or hospitals, and not from the employers.
Twenty-one fatalities were reported last year, of which 16 were from construction sector (76 per cent), and a majority of these involved falling from heights.
All these deaths were “preventable”, said Mr Waldron.
“As we (Bapco) analysed the situation in 2017, two-thirds of the (worksite) accidents were failed in reporting,” he told the GDN.
“Most of the cases were reported from the police stations or hospitals, not from the employers.”
The expert was speaking on the sidelines of the Bahrain Health, Safety and Environment Forum 2019 which opened at the Wyndham Grand Manama, Bahrain Bay yesterday.
“There are two things which I have observed as the reasons for not reporting.
“First of all, people are afraid they will get into trouble. We always try and encourage people to come out of this fear.
“The second reason is ignorance. They do not know how to report the accidents or are not aware that they are legally required to do so.
“We have companies that are at two ends of the spectrum – one with a good health, safety and environment (HSE) system and the other where a lot needs to be done.”
More than 100 HSE practitioners, government regulators and solutions providers are attending the two-day forum which is organised by Alain Charles Publishing under the patronage of Labour and Social Development Ministry in partnership with Bapco.
“Working at heights and in confined spaces are two of the most dangerous activities,” said Mr Waldron.
“In many local situations had the right safety measures been in place, people would not have been put at risk.
“A large number of construction companies need a lot of help with HSE,” he said, adding that costs were a prohibitive factor.
The specialist, who has been in the field for 32 years, said communication was a persistent challenge as well as having trained people in the HSE team.
“Because the team is cross-cultural, we must make sure that the message is conveyed in their native tongue.”
Alain Charles Publishing event head Martyn Diamond Black also endorsed that “communication and translation” were important.
“We need to be telling people regularly what should be done and this needs to be translated for people not well versed in the language of the message.”
Protection
The forum was inaugurated by Labour and Social Development Under-Secretary Sabah Al Doseri who underlined Bahrain’s interest in occupational safety and health to enhance worker protection.
“Safety procedures at worksites must be followed without compromise, as we are dealing with the lives of workers,” he said in his opening address.
“The ministry is keen on ensuring the safety of every worker in the country, especially those working on outdoor sites including the high-risk area of working at heights.
“Our inspection team is vigilant and we conduct our own investigation into any worksite accident.
“We usually don’t have major issues with big companies, only with smaller businesses.”
raji@gdn.com.bh
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