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History of Middle East Health & Safety

Much like many of the other sectors throughout the Middle East health and safety as a sector has seen a big growth in standards and a welcome drop in accident rates over the past ten years.

Thanks to more awareness being spread and extra money being invested in worthwhile programs, Middle East workplaces are far safer environments for all. Another big factor in the evolution of safety standards in the area is governmental laws becoming more stringent and focused on individual areas of business.

Posted 20/10/2020

When it’s considered that the construction industry is worth $500billion to the region alone, it’s no surprise that the criterion has advanced over the years. 2009’s Code of Construction Safety Practice for Dubai was curated to assist businesses with their safety responsibilities and covers a wide variety of construction subjects, from PPE to scaffolding and everything in between. This, along with many other regulations, shows how seriously the region is taking its health and safety duties.

However, there have still been big headlines for safety failings in recent times, namely the death figures during the construction stage of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup.

Over 1200 workers have died since construction began with a large majority of them being untrained migrants. 400 Nepalese are said to be included in the fatality rates with overall numbers likely to hit 4000 before work is completed. This has led to a huge spike in the amount of workplace deaths and accidents recorded in the area overall.

It’s not just the negative side of Middle East health and safety which is often highlighted, however. Businesses are being recognised for excellence with their safety standards, such as the Health and Safety Initiative of the Year Award at the fmME Awards. There are also events such as the Employee Health and Wellbeing Conference held in October in Qatar, the Annual Waste Management ME Forum in October held in Dubai and the Kuwait International Fair every September.

The history of Middle East health and safety paves the way for a safe and prosperous future for workplaces.

To find out how Safety Media can help with our health and safety training and management solutions, call us on (+971) 4 3213202 or email [email protected].