The inaugural Kuwait Annual Health, Safety & Security Forum, organised by Health, Safety & Security Review Middle East magazine under Alain Charles Publishing Managed Events, was successfully conducted on 24-25 September 2018 at the J.W. Marriott, Kuwait City
Endorsed by the Ministry of Health, Kuwait, and supported by the Kuwait Society of Occupational Medicine; Occupational Health Department - Ministry of Health, Kuwait; the World Safety Council and IPAF, the forum welcomed more than 100 participants, including senior government officials, consultants and contractors, international associations and media partners along with a host of sponsors and exhibitors. Sectors represented included construction, healthcare, oil and gas, government and regulatory organisations, and aviation.
The theme of the two-day forum was ‘Prevent, Prepare, Protect", and focused on the wellbeing at workplaces via occupational health services and implementing effective safety standards. The forum, now in its fourth year, addressed the importance of evidence-based policy making and the critical topic of working at heights.
As well as addressing everyday health, safety & security challenges, the forum provided a platform for the presentation of the latest solutions giving the attendees a rich networking and learning experience. The forum was chaired by Prof. Mohammed Kamel - Ministry of Health, Kuwait.
Day one of the event featured top-line speakers like Professor Harri Vainio from the Kuwait University; Jason Woods, Middle East and India Representative, IPAF, Mohammad, Chief Technical Officer, Karam Industries; Nasser Al Buhairi, Chief Security Officer and Head of Emergency Coordination Unit, Kuwait Oil Company ; Dr Musaed Al Najjar, Head - Asian Region, International Police Science Association ; Gary Hicks - General Manager, EVAC+ Chair International Ltd.
There was a panel discussion on implementing safety standards which garnered much participation from all attendees. The opening keynote address on day two, on corporate wellness and happiness programmes, was delivered by Dr Sajed Al Abdali from EQUATE Petroleum while Mazharuddin Shaikh from ASSP Kuwait spoke about achieving process safety excellence through e-Moc systems. Eng Hassan Al Fadhli, representing the Ministry of Interiors, Environmental Police, Kuwait, spoke about the role and responsibilities of Environment Police in maintaining a healthy environment. Dr Ivan Ivanov from the WHO Headquarters,Geneva, spoke about a critical topic on the Global Initiatives on Health, Safety and Environment for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr Shaikha Alfajjam, Head of the Shauiba Industrial Center, Kuwait spoke about protecting workers from climate change effects. The panel discussion, with the theme of “Respect the unexpected” also drew participation from all the attendees.
The two-day exclusive forum featured an exhibition which showcased innovations in safety, security and evacuation with sponsors such as Safety Fire Experts Co, KARAM Safety, Evac+Chair International, The forum received support from IPAF and World Safety Council along with media partners, namely Technical Review Middle East, Oil Review Middle East, International Fire Protection, Gulf Fire and HSE People. The event is scheduled to be held again in 2019.
