The prevention of construction site fires in the UAE will be a focus of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) annual UAE Networking Conference, to be held in Dubai on 7 December
With a number of high-profile fires happening during building work in recent months, the conference will include a panel discussion chaired by Matt Jackson, chair of IOSH’s UAE Branch, who will ask what more can be done to prevent the blazes.
The panel will include Robert Davies, head of fire and life safety at WSP in the Middle East, Stephen Smith, executive director for safety, health, environment and quality at Multiplex, and Adrian Brown, from Dubai Civil Defence.
Ahead of the conference, Jackson said, “It is vital that fire safety measures are a key priority on all construction sites. Our experienced panel will look at what more can be done to prevent these fires which provide major setbacks on construction projects and put people’s lives at risk.”
The conference is being held at Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort, Dubai, between 8.30am and 4pm on Thursday 7 December.
Delegates will also hear from IOSH’s director of business services, Richard Orton, who will talk about the institution’s recently-launched qualification, the NCFE IOSH Level 3 Certificate in Safety and Health for Business. Employee wellbeing and cultural change are also topics of presentations, while the keynote address from Dr Ajith George from ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) will focus on health and safety during the management of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence incidents.
Jackson said, “In the UAE and the rest of the Middle East, there is a real growing appetite for safety and health to be at the heart of business. Our networking conference is the ideal place for the sharing of ideas and good practice and to enhance worker protection.”
For more information, or to book your place at the conference, see the website at www.iosh.co.uk.
