The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated on April 28, every year.
To coincide with the annual event, Qatar had organised the Second Conference on Occupational Safety and Health. At the meet, the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, H E Dr Issa Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, said that Qatar has made great strides towards consolidating and strengthening occupational safety and health in various sectors through a series of legislation, laws and practices that reduced accidents and protected workers against multiple occupational risks in light of the continued technological development.
At the opening session of the conference, many international oraganisations praised Qatar’s efforts in this arena. The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Building and Wood Worker’s International (BWI) hailed that Qatar’s commitment to ensuring the rights of workers and the achievements it has made at the institutional and legislative levels to guarantee these rights. The Deputy Director General of Operations and Partnerships at the ILO, Mousa Oumaro, said that Qatar has worked hard to make arrangements for a safe working environment in the World Cup projects.
It’s a great gesture by ILO for Qatar’s commitment and efforts that it is opening a representative office in Doha to strengthen cooperation and partnership with Qatar.
The Secretary-General of BWI, Ambit Yusen, congratulated Qatar for the achievements in the fields of safety and health of workers. He said: “Qatar gives a strong signal that the safety of workers is a priority.... Qatar joins the global movement in terms of workers’ safety and security, many sites in Qatar adopt the best international security and safety procedures.”
If you look at the Qatari companies that take part in the developmental projects, including the work of FIFA 2022, it’s clear that how the authorities are giving importance to the well-being of each and every person who is working in the country. Many of these firms achieved record levels of work hours without injuries. It shows that these companies are working in tandem with various governmental organisations to give top priority to comply with global standards on the safety and security of workers in various project sites.
The periodic and surprise inspections at project sites and other work places as well as numerous awareness and counseling campaigns made by various authorities gave impetus to the ongoing efforts to reduce the risks of accidents and occupational diseases. Qatar is also in the forefront of ensuring best health care for workers and providing adequate housing with global standards. Qatar has earned the global applause for its efforts.
