Dubai South honors consultants and contractors for safety milestones
‘Safety at Heights’ is an initiative led by Dubai South Occupational Health, Safety, Security and Environment Authority (OHSSE)
Dubai South has honored companies working within its development for their safety achievements in 2018. Dubai South says that 35.8m man-hours were recorded without any serious accidents or time-loss incidents.
Consultants and contractors were honored for their efforts in the ‘Safety at Heights’ initiative, during an awards ceremony held recently at Dubai South Headquarters. The ceremony was attended by Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South, Dr Wim Raath, head of Dubai South Occupational Health, Safety, Security and Environment Authority (OHSSE), Ali Abudulla, SVP Regulatory Affairs and Mohsen Ahmed, CEO of Logistic District.
“The highest risk within any construction site and most fatal accidents that occur involve working at heights. With any work activity that takes place at height, such as working on ladders, man-lifts, or on scaffolding, the risk of a fall resulting in serious injury or death is a fact. However, those risks can be managed by making sure that the work is always planned and organised with safety in mind. It is our obligation as the management team to ensure that our workers are safe, the condition which they work in and on, is safe and that they understand the risks involved in the work they need to carry out,” said Al Zaffin.
Safety at Heights is led by OHSSE and was rolled out in November to increase awareness among workers on the safety rules and regulations within construction facilities. The initiative engaged consultants and contractors within Dubai South to conduct activities that increase awareness among workers within their companies. Participating companies prepared and held presentations, conducted training sessions and showcased the commitment of their management towards the campaign.
Dr Raath commented, “We encourage the consultants and contractors working within Dubai South projects to be fully engaged and committed to empower workers in safe work habits. All consultants and contractors need to actively participate in the Safety through the Empowerment of People (STEP) program, which include the ‘Safety at Heights’ campaign. It is of paramount importance on all construction sites as too many lives are being lost because people are not working safely in high locations. Unsafe conditions, incorrect use or damaged equipment and ignorance plays a huge role in not following the correct practices.”
Seven companies promoted the ‘Working at Heights’ campaign and were recognised, however, the most engaging campaign went to Nurol from the contracting side and Khatib & Alami from the consulting side. The companies honored included U+A and Pivot Engineering & General Contracting Company; Atkins and Al Qabdah Global Contracting; DCM International and Amana Contracting – DBSchenker; GEO Co and Amana Contracting – Aerospace; WME Consultants and Dhafir Development & Contracting; Atkins and Intermass Engineering & Contracting; and Al Jabal Engineering and Fujairah National Construction Co.
