The Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Centre recently hosted a meeting to discuss the draft National Occupational health and safety programme in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Human Resources and resettlement and at their request.
His Excellency Dr. Jaber Al-Jabiri welcomed the delegation of the Ministry of Human Resources and settlement participating in the meeting, appraiser the Ministry’s efforts to facilitate cooperation between the parties in on occupational safety and health issues and actively contribute to supporting the Centre’s efforts to achieve safe and healthy workplaces for all without loss or labour market costs.
The purpose of the meeting was to publicize the National programme and the role of the Centre in this programme, which is carried out in coordination and cooperation with a team from the International Labour Organization (ILO) with a view to improving occupational health and safety conditions and practices in the workplace. In the United Arab Emirates, to enhance the attractiveness of the State and increase its excellence in the field of employment, utilizing the experience of local authorities, the most important of which is the Abu Dhabi Emirate’s Occupational safety and health system.
Key axes were discussed, the most important of which was to consider the centre as a strategic partner in all phases of the project, being the competent local authority for all occupational safety and health matters in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the need to refer to the system applied in the Principality as one of the main references in the development of the National Occupational Health and Safety programme, as is the Universal Standard (OH18001) and the requirements of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Centre also expressed its full readiness to provide support and assistance to the project team of the Ministry through the provision of support in the review of the outputs of the first phase of the project, concerning the emirate of Abu Dhabi, to ensure that it reflects the current situation in the Principality, before the output is raised for approval by the Ministry.
On this occasion, His Excellency Dr. Jaber Aydah al-Jabri, director general of the Centre, stated: “Occupational safety and health is a key pillar of national and local strategies to promote workplaces in line with the best standards and attention to the security and safety of workers in the workforce is the duty of everyone, as they contribute significantly to the promotion of state competitiveness and the attraction of global investment.”
“The application of projects such as the draft National Occupational health and safety programme will have a positive impact on workplaces in the state as a whole,” he said. which will contribute to the promotion of awareness of the importance of the human element and contribute to the development of the component of attracting the distinctive human competence. ”
At the meeting, the importance of coordinating the Ministry with the Centre on all Occupational safety and health data and requirements was addressed.
The Centre was invited to the importance of the readiness of local stakeholders to pursue occupational safety and health issues in the UAE state to achieve and adhere to the indicators and programmes that will emanate from the programme, and the Centre has also called upon the Ministry to be relevant establishment of a national Occupational Safety and Health Committee, including representatives of local governments, to ensure their participation in the development of the National Occupational Health and Safety programme, and to ensure that they are ready to start implementing it as soon as possible.