Building a Middle East Safety Culture

As the UAE prepares to introduce 2016 Fire & Life Safety Codes, the 2nd Annual Health, Safety & Security Forum 2016 will take place at Le Méridien - Al Wasl Ballroom from 23-24 October in Dubai to host experts who will provide advice on fire safety in the UAE.

Alongside, participants will also be able to witness mock fire drill followed by a mock court trial, first-of-its-kind in the Middle East, which will offer valuable insights into the working of justice systems after a serious workplace accident. Here the delegates will assume the role of the jury and will witness the accused undergo cross-examination. The ensuing panel session, led by Al Tamami and Co, will facilitate discussion on the issues raised.

Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) will be represented by Terry Johnson, Senior Fire Service Advisor at the Operations Department, who would talk about steps to be taken to ensure a fire-proof environment and the best evacuation practices.

The innovative event, organised by Health, Safety & Security Review Middle East magazine, is endorsed by Dubai Municipality, Abu Dhabi Municipality and Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, and is an underlying testament to the growing focus on HSE in the UAE and the Middle East region.

Built on the success of the highly acclaimed inaugural HSE Forum in September 2015, the 2nd Annual Health, Safety & Security Forum 2016 will bring together HSE and security professionals, policy makers, regulators and solutions providers to share knowledge and experiences on proven methodologies and best practices in the drive for better health and safety performance.

Tania Jadhav, conference producer, comments, “With all eyes on Dubai, intense preparations are being made for Expo 2020 Dubai in areas such as crowd management and security to ensure that the venue is safe for visitors.”

The opening keynote presentation will be given by Eng Raed Mohammed Al-Marzouqi, Head of Occupational Health & Safety at Dubai Municipality, who will speak on heat stress management, a common issue faced by workers in the UAE.

Dr Huda Khaleefa Alsalmi, Head of EHS Office and Mapping and Imagery section, Abu Dhabi City Municipality, will give a presentation on Abu Dhabi Municipality’s incident report statistics and regulation update.

The list of participants and supporters include Dubai Civil Defence, IOSH UAE, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), the UAE International Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, UAE Ministry of Labour and ZADCO, among others.

Against the backdrop of continuing construction activities in the run-up to Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as recent high-rise building fires in the UAE, there has never been a more important time to focus on the promotion of an effective health and safety culture.