Kuwait Health, Safety & Environment Forum to renew the focus on health and prevention

Held under the patronage of Kuwait’s Ministry of Health, the Forum, which builds on the success of the highly acclaimed inaugural event held in September 2018, will provide a platform for the sharing of insights, expertise and best practice on critical issues across the spectrum of health and prevention, safety and security, environment, risk management and technology.

Despite rapid advances in the health and safety sector, Kuwait faces a range of occupational health challenges such as reducing environmental hazards, improving the effectiveness of health policies, addressing communication issues and promoting healthy lifestyles and behaviours that will encourage a safer work environment and advance worker wellbeing. As Prof. Mohamed Kamel, Ministry of Health, Kuwait commented at last year’s event, “You cannot be a safe worker if you are not a healthy worker.”

There is also a big push on sustainable healthcare, tying in with the unified Gulf Health Strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to raise standards of health and wellbeing throughout the country.

This year’s event will have a renewed focus on health and prevention, and will be preceded by a one-day workshop on hospital occupational health and safety management system on 8 October, run by a senior representative of the Ministry of Health. Aimed at hospital health care staff, senior staff of public health, quality and infection control departments and all those interested in the field of occupational and environmental risk assessment, it will enable those attending to obtain CME points.

“Regular occupational health training is urgently required to spread the concepts and importance of both a culture of safety and decent work,” said Dr Ahmed Al-Shatti, Director, Occupational Health Department at the Ministry of Health, Kuwait, stressing the importance of international, regional and local exchange of expertise.

The Forum itself will feature a combination of presentations, case studies and panel discussions, through which industry experts will address subjects such as sustainable healthcare as a way forward to achieve the unified Gulf Health Strategy; improving competency and safety in high rise construction sites; protecting workers with 3D modelling; driving safety; leadership and safety culture; mitigating risks in hostile environments; IoT for monitoring potential workplace hazards; waste management and minimisation; and preventing environmental contamination by industrial activities.

The line-up of eminent speakers includes Dr Ahmed Al-Shatti, Director, Occupational Health Department, Ministry of Health, Kuwait; Nasser Al-Buhairi, Chief Security Officer and Head of Emergency Coordination Unit, Kuwait Oil Company; Dr Ghaida Mubarak Al-Shoraian, Senior General Practitioner, Kuwait National Petroleum Company; Qusai Al Shatti, Acting Director-General, Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT); Dr Muhammad Alamgir, HSE Manager, Petrofac, Kuwait; Dr Ahmed Haji, Senior Doctor, Petrochemical Industries Company KSC; and Jason Woods, Middle East & India Representative for the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF).

The Forum will include an exhibition showcasing the latest technologies, products and services and will provide plentiful opportunities for networking and building new business relationships.

Soumen Chakraborthy, event producer, commented, “Kuwait is hard at work to achieve the third of the 17th UN 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely “ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development”. There is a need to significantly strengthen the workforce by providing appropriate training in issues related to occupational health, safety and environment.

“The Kuwait HSE Forum 2019, with the theme of “Prevent, Prepare, Protect", is all set to deliver. Visionary speakers from KNPC, KIPIC, Petrofac and more will present the latest case studies and share best practices. This will also be an avenue for safety professionals to embrace the future and help define what new technology (AI & IoT, Data) can bring to their professions. Considering the huge emphasis on having a clean and green environment, the two-day gathering will also have an exclusive session on some of the key areas of concern in this space. And this year we are providing enhanced professional development opportunities with the addition of the Ministry of Health workshop on 8 October.”

For further information and to register, see the website at www.hse-forum.com/kuwait.