Health and Safety career prospects for Dubai Expo 2020

Shortly before the country celebrated its 42nd founding anniversary last December 1-2, people all over UAE, most especially here Dubai were ecstatic when it was finally announced and confirmed that the World Expo 2020 will be hosted by the country. With so much preparation and awareness campaigns initiated by the Government, and Dubai being the financial and economic hub in this part of the world - there was no doubt that Dubai is a worthy host of one if not the biggest expo in the world that we can expect.

What is world expo?

It is actually like a trade exhibition that originated in France. However, the best known ‘first’ World Expo was held in London in 1851 and it was considered as the first international exhibition of manufactured products.
From then on, the host countries used the world exposition as a platform to improve their national image. It is also a fact that this will boost tourism as well as positive economic impact. There will product innovations and showcase of technological advancements. It also facilitates cultural exchange - and for the host city, region or country – it is used as a vehicle for ‘nation branding’.

Where does ‘Safety’ come in the picture?

Just like in the early 2000 and before the economic recession in 2008, it is expected that massive projects and economic activities are coming to UAE in general and Dubai in particular. In fact, as early as this year, the Ruler of Dubai has announced and approved a number of ‘multi-billion’ infrastructure projects to rise in Dubai. Projects like the Dubai Frame (see below), Dubai Eye, etc. are now on its early project implementation phase.

This also means that a lot of manpower resources will be needed during the construction and operation stage, and in parallel more ‘safety professionals’ are also needed. Why? Because hiring Safety Professionals in every construction projects or during it operation is a minimum requirement by the government.

The Next Big Question

If there’s a need for more Safety Professionals, where do you see yourself as far your safety profession and your career is concerned? Are you ready for such great opportunities? Are you prepared to compete with other nationalities? Or do you have the necessary qualifications and competence to be hired as a Safety Professional?

I would say it’s not yet too late – in fact, this is the right time for all those who are aspiring to become Safety Professionals to chart their career in Health and Safety by attending or getting additional qualifications (e.g. NEBOSH, OSHA, OHSAS Auditor, etc). Networking with similar professions is also ideal but most of all, you have to decide first and put your heart and mind to improve yourself and become a competent safety professional.

Remember, it’s not a one sided game – if you prepare or have started now, other nationalities are also there to compete with you and some even have prepared way ahead of you. In the end, just like in expo – you need to ‘brand yourself’ and be the best of what you can be.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter even when you’re not in the safety profession, or whether you are the architect, the engineer, or the skilled worker – what matters is, you will have a job that can sustain you and your family back home.

Be prepared, be ready – for the World Expo 2020.

Environment, Health and Safety Website of Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

One of the most important things a Safety and Health Officer should know is his knowledge of the applicable local laws and regulations related to Environment, Health and Safety.

So if you're planning to apply for job here in United Arab Emirates (UAE) especially in Abu Dhabi, well here's the link of the Abu Dhabi Environmental, Health and Safety Management System.

You can click on the link below, read and download all the applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Abu Dhabi Environmental, Health and Safety Rules and Regulations

I only have one request, please share my blog link to your colleagues so they can read and download it also.

Please keep visiting and referring this site to your friends. Next posts will be for Dubai Municipality and Dubai Free zones.

They say "knowledge is power" - get that edge so that when your employer conducts the interview, you can share the knowledge you learn from here.

P.S. Answer the poll survey on the upper right side of this page.

Safety Officers and Practitioners Joint Annual General Assembly

It was agreed last meeting that this coming December 11, 2009 - all the three Safety Organizations here in Northern Mindanao namely: ASPPI, SOPI and OSHNET 10 will have their joint Annual General Membership Assembly plus Election of Officers plus Induction Program plus Christmas Party. It looks like four events rolled into one. Mind you, it has nothing to do with the financial crisis, it's just that we wanted to save time since most attendees are also members of these three Safety Organizations here in this part of the country.

To make it more interesting, there will be learning sessions in between. Tentative topics will be: Basic Industrial Safety Management and the NOSH Medium Term Plans.

This will be held at the newly opened Polymedic Plaza along Kauswagan Highway,Cagayan de Oro City.

Lastly,for all those who want to attend, please contact any of the officers of ASPPI, SOPI, OSHNET 10 and DOLE 10. Prepare Php 100.00 (min) worth of gift and an assessment fee of Php 300.00 will be collected for the food.

Leptospirosis outbreak confirmed

THE Department of Health yesterday reported that there is an outbreak of leptospirosis, a usually rare bacterial infection, in three barangays in Marikina and expects an upsurge of cases of the disease in Metro Manila and the regions of Rizal and the Calabarzon following the flooding brought by tropical storm “Ondoy.”

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the infectious disease is spreading rapidly in Marikina, with Tumana, Concepcion, and Malanday as the epicenter communities.

“It’s an outbreak there because in 2008, Marikina had zero cases.We expect a lot more cases in Rizal (province) and Calabarzon,” he said, citing areas where hospital data is still coming in and where stagnating floodwaters remain in heavily populated communities.

Duque said the DoH will begin distributing free doxycycline antibiotic drugs as a prophylactic, or means of prevention in Marikina.

He noted that the disease has afflicted more people in Metro Manila in the last two weeks than it typically does in an entire year, attributing the “outbreak” to large numbers of people wading in floodwaters carrying the bacteria.

In Metro Manila alone, the DoH has recorded 1,027 leptospirosis patients, with 89 deaths, for a high 8.6 percent mortality rate.

The health chief added that one million people in the Calabarzon region are at risk of exposure to the bacteria, while 700,000 people are vulnerable in Metro Manila.

Leptospirosis is spread through animal urine mixed in with floodwater entering openings in human skin. It usually takes two weeks after infection to manifest flu-like symptoms. If not diagnosed early enough, it can lead to meningitis, liver damage and death. Nearly one in ten afflicted so far has died, an extremely high mortality rate for any disease.

Duque said the best prevention is to stay out of polluted floodwaters. However, he admitted that many people have to walk in floodwater to return to their homes or simply to get from one place to another.

Many places remain under water since typhoon “Ondoy” struck and submerged large parts of Metro Manila and outlying areas.

Safety Tips: All About Leptospirosis!

Where is leptospirosis found?

Leptospirosis occurs worldwide but is most common in temperate or tropical climates. It is an occupational hazard for many people who work outdoors or with animals, for example, farmers, sewer workers, veterinarians, fish workers, dairy farmers, or military personnel. It is a recreational hazard for campers or those who participate in outdoor sports in contaminated areas and has been associated with swimming, wading, and whitewater rafting in contaminated lakes and rivers. The incidence is also increasing among urban children.

Source: Center for Disease and Control Prevention

How to reduce cost of accidents?

There are a number of steps you can take to reduce the chance of accidents and ill health happening in your business.

Step 1. Find out what could cause harm.

Step 2. Identify who might be harmed - including your employees, visitors or members of the public.

Step 3. Decide what you should do to prevent anything happening to them.

Step 4. Take action in a planned way, recording what you have done.

Step 5. Check if these actions are still working from time to time.

As previously posted, you can cut down on your costs be preventing accidents and ill health in the workplace. Saving on the accident costs of these accidents is an investment in the future of your business.

Emphasizing Workplace Safety and Health

Why should we emphasize workplace safety and health?

Simple, it keeps people safe and healthful, and it decreases the long-term costs of doing business. But make sure your company is emphasizing accident prevention rather than loss control. Accident prevention is a proactive approach while loss control tends to be much more reactive.

In safety and health, you can pay now or pay later. It's smart to pay for safety and health before an accident occurs. For every proactive peso spent preventing workplace accidents, many more are saved in direct/indirect accident costs.

For every reactive peso spent on the direct costs of a worker's injury or illness, much more is spent to cover the indirect and unknown costs associated with the injury or illness. Read more on direct, indirect and unknown accident costs on my upcoming entries.

Lastly, tell your friends about this Cagayan de Oro Safety and Health network and you can also give your inputs and comments.

Cost of Accident to the company

The following is the cost to the company when an accident happens in the workplace:

1. Wages for the injured worker over the period.

2. Loss of production or remedial work required.

3. Overtime wages to cover lost production.

4. Wages for replacement worker.

5. Legal expenses.

6. Fines and court costs

7. Increase in Employees' Compensation Claims.

What are example of uninsured costs?

1. Lost time

2. Extra wages, overtime payments

3. Sick Pay

4. Production delays

5. Loss of contracts and legal costs

6. Damage to products, buildings or equipment

7. Investigation time

8. Loss of business or

9. Loss of business reputation

The cost of accidents and ill health only have real meaning when related to your business. You should compare them to your overall operating costs, or annual sales needed to cover them. Only then you can judge how significant they are.

The Real Cost of Accidents and Ill Health at Work

The cost of an accident is not simply the cost of medication and/or hospitalization of the injured worker. Taking action to improve health and safety standards, as well as required by law, is also good for your business.

Here are some facts and statistics:

1. In transport company studied, the cost of accidents were equivalent to one-third of its annual profits.

2. Work related ill-health can cost over two times more than accident causing injury.

3. The smaller your business, the bigger the impact will be if you have a serious accident. It could put you out of business.

4. Accidents and ill health caused by work cost time and money.

5. Uninsured costs cannot be claimed. And a poor health and safety record may mean increased premiums or refusal of future insurance cover.

And on top of the financial costs of such accidents, there is also the stress of having to deal with them.

Remember, you can cut down on your costs by preventing accidents and ill health in the workplace. Saving on the costs of these accidents is an investment in the future of your business.

P.S. Watch out for future topics such as: cost of accidents to the company, the uninsured costs and the incident cost calculator.

Legal Basis of Safety and Safety Management

Good day fellow Health and Safety advocates here in Cagayan de Oro City or in any part here

in Mindanao Philippines. Here is another entry of some Safety and Health topics as promised

during the last day of our Construction Safety and BOSH training held in Cagayan de Oro last

week.



So first things first...

WHY SAFETY? WHAT ARE THE LEGAL BASIS OF SAFETY IN THE PHILIPPINES?


According to the Occupation Safety and Health (OSH) standard, every employer has a legal

obligation to furnish employment (work) and a place of employment (workplace) free from

known hazards that could cause serious injury or death. This entry is designed to give you

some ideas to help meet that obligation and apply effective management principles to the

function of workplace safety. The ultimate goal is to help you understand these principles

so that it affects your thinking, beliefs, decision and finally your actions to improve your

company's safety management system and leadership culture.

Maybe, you've remembered the cost of an accident: the Direct and Indirect Cost. Look below

at what effective safety and health management can offer.




SAFETY IS SMART BUSINESS!


If you want to reduce the costs and risks associated with workplace injuries, illnesses, and

fatalities, you should place as much emphasis on safety and health in your workplace as you

do other management issues such as production, sales, transportation and quality control.

The old phrase, "Safety First," may sound nice, but in reality, safety is less effective if

it's thought to be a priority. In a highly competitive environment priorities can change

rapidly. To survive, a company must both produce and be safe. Turn safety into a core value

that never changes. Change "safety first" into "Safety only."



"Safety Only" emphasizes the idea that its fine to produce as hard and fast as you can, as

long as you can do it safely. High productivity is desired, but if a safety hazard or

practice is discovered that might cause serious physical harm or death, it should be

corrected immediately, even if that means shutting down production. That's commitment to

safety!



Please post your comments and if you have some topics on Safety and Health to share here,

please do not hesitate to email and contact me. You may also want to share this very new

site to all your friends who are interested in advancing a career in Safety whether here in

Cagayan de Oro City, in Mindanao, here in the Philippines or even abroad.

Cagayan de Oro City Safety & Health Network

Safety program impacts construction injuries
Phoenix Business Journal

A federal construction safety program introduced by the Clinton Administration in 1998 has had a dramatic effect on fatality and injury rates.

That’s the conclusion of a 10-year analysis conducted by the Associated General Contractors.

National construction fatality rates plummeted 47 percent and recordable safety incidents dropped 38 percent in the decade since the “collaborative safety approach” was initiated, according to an AGC news release distributed Tuesday.

“The collaborative safety approach represented a significant shift in federal safety oversight when it was first introduced by the Clinton Administration,” the release said.

“The approach creates incentives for companies to find and fix safety problems before incidents occur while maintaining strong penalties for companies that let safety problems lag until someone is hurt,” the release continued.

The analysis noted that fatalities and injuries dropped during a time frame when construction hit a fevered pit in Phoenix and around the nation.

The trend may continue, but most likely due to dramatic declines in construction employment, according to a different release from AGC economist Ken Simonson.

His latest report said construction employment fell again in July in 34 states and in the nation’s capital. Since July 2008, construction fell to some degree in every state except Louisiana, North Dakota and Mississippi.


Comment:

There is also an equivalent Safety, Health programs available not just in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao but in the Philippines as a whole. There is in fact a Government Agency in-charge for the Safety and Health of the workers. One of the relevant orders is the Department Order no. 13 which was approved in 1998. Department Order (or DO 13) is the GUIDELINES GOVERNING OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. So fellow Safety advocates, trainors or consultants here in Cagayan de Oro City or here in Mindanao, Philippines or to any person interested in Safety and Health - please feel free to visit this site and we will build a network of Safety and Health advocates and lets make a difference by spreading Safety and Health in Cagayan de Oro City, in Mindanao or the Philippine as a whole.