Regional Coverage
Regional Coverage
- Details
- Louise Waters
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 18th December 2025
- Year: 2025
Qatar Ministry of Labour’s Occupational Safety and Health Department, in cooperation with Qatar Foundation, Tadmur Contracting, and The Westin Doha Hotel & Spa, has held three awareness seminars for workers and employers' representatives on the prevention of workplace hazards
The aim was to raise awareness of the importance of implementing occupational safety standards and guidelines, and of methods to reduce accidents, injuries, and exposure to biological agents. The seminars are part of the Ministry of Labour's ongoing efforts to promote a safe and healthy working environment across worksites in the country, and to raise awareness of the importance of adhering to occupational safety procedures and adopting proper behaviours while carrying out duties in the contracting, construction, and hospitality sectors.
Experts from the Occupational Safety and Health Department, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Workers' Support and Insurance Fund delivered presentations to workers, outlining the most prominent risks in workplace environments such as slips, trips, and falls from heights; working on scaffolding; injuries resulting from the use of heavy machinery; trench collapses; exposure to contaminated materials; and behaviours that may contribute to the spread of infectious diseases. They also highlighted best practices to avoid these risks.
The experts stressed that reducing injuries and accidents at construction sites and avoiding biological hazards requires compliance with approved preventive measures, such as the use of personal protective equipment, adherence to on-site safety guidelines, ensuring equipment is safe before use, maintaining general hygiene, complying with sterilisation procedures, and adopting healthy behaviours to avoid potential sources of infection. They also emphasised the importance of employers' role in providing a safe work environment free from injuries and hazards.
These seminars are part of a series of awareness programmes and activities implemented by the Ministry of Labour throughout the year, in cooperation with partners in the public and private sectors, with the aim of enhancing occupational safety and health awareness, informing workers and employers of their legal obligations, and promoting compliance with the best local and international standards to ensure a sound and healthy working environment that provides the highest levels of protection and care for all workers in the country
- Details
- Sania Aziz
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 18th December 2025
- Year: 2025
The Board of Directors of Bahrain's Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) recently convened its regular meeting, chaired by His Excellency Yousif bin Abdul Hussain Khalaf, Minister of Labour and Minister of Legal Affairs. The session was attended by board members and Noubras Mohammed Talib, the LMRA's Chief Executive Officer.
A key focus of the meeting was reviewing the LMRA's ongoing efforts to implement strategic plans designed to strengthen the work environment and enhance regulatory and oversight efficiency.
These initiatives align closely with Bahrain's Government Programme (2023-2026) and the National Labour Market Plan (2023-2026), reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to fostering a balanced, flexible, and competitive labour market.
The board highlighted the LMRA's role in supporting economic growth by protecting the rights of both employers and employees, including national and expatriate workers.
By streamlining processes and integrating advanced digital tools, the authority aims to reduce labour disputes, improve transparency, and attract investment.
A significant portion of the discussion centred on updates to the enhanced Wage Protection System (WPS).
This upgraded electronic platform facilitates the timely payment of wages for both Bahraini and foreign workers through approved financial and banking institutions.
It enables seamless electronic transfers, ensuring compliance and accountability. The system particularly benefits employers, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), by simplifying financial and administrative operations. It allows for efficient documentation of payments without requiring additional investments in separate systems.
This not only minimises delays and disputes but also promotes contractual stability in the private sector. Launched in collaboration with the Central Bank of Bahrain and partners like the Benefit Company, the enhanced WPS underscores Bahrain's position as a regional leader in labour rights protection. It reinforces investor confidence and contributes to a professional, stable workplace.
Overall, these developments demonstrate the LMRA's proactive approach to modernising Bahrain's labour market, ensuring fairness, efficiency, and sustainability for all stakeholders. As the Kingdom advances its economic vision, such reforms are poised to drive productivity and long-term growth. (Word count: 312)
- Details
- Matthew Hayhoe
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 17th December 2025
- Year: 2025
Integrity HSE's new office in Doha (and overall international expansion strategy) is fuelled by "challenging economic conditions in the UK market," according to managing director Steven Harris
The service provider, headquartered in Aberdeen, has enlisted country manager Neilson McCready to head up its new Doha operation.
Aberdeen will remain as the company's headquarters.
Harris explained, "We provide first-class QHSE support to global organisations seeking an outsourced solution that is more cost-effective than employing full-time QHSE staff, while also offering greater value through access to our diverse team of medical professionals, training specialists, quality engineers, and ISO certification experts."
The firm suggested Doha was a logical next step in its ongoing global expansion, with a growing reputation and portfolio in the Middle East.
- Details
- Matthew Hayhoe
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 16th December 2025
- Year: 2025
The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) has partnered with Lucid Group to open the Middle East's first Electric Vehicle Innovation Center which, according to Lucid interim CEO Marc Winterhoff, "embodies our ongoing commitment to leading the advancement of electric vehicle technology, and our support toward strengthening Saudi Arabia a hub for technological innovation"
Local, regional and global research and experts will convene at the centre, which will hope to accelerate Lucid's status as one of the world's most advanced EV manufacturers.
Winterhoff continued, "By combining Lucid’s engineering expertise with KACST’s advanced research capabilities, we will continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Our teams are eager to begin the planned work together, recognizing this research will help shape the future of sustainable mobility."
Dr. Talal bin Ahmed Al-Sedairy, senior VP for Research and Development at KACST, added, "This cooperation contributes to the transfer and localization of advanced, high-impact technologies, the establishment of new industrial value chains, and the strengthening of integration between the research, development, and innovation system, the industrial strategy, and the investment strategy, thereby accelerating the transformation of knowledge into products and technologies that support the future of sustainable mobility and enhance the competitiveness of the national economy."
Ahead of its inauguration, the centre matured from a mere testing and validation facility to one that will involve research and optimisation in the engineering phases, extending Lucid's work at similar sites in the United States.
- Details
- Louise Waters
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 15th December 2025
- Year: 2025
Middle East-based HITEK AI, a part of the Farnek group of companies, has upgraded its SAFETEK digital safety management platform, enabling a more proactive approach to safety management
This now incorporates AI-enabled Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and AI-integrated smart CCTV hazard detection, offering a smarter, faster, more cost-effective solution, with improved compliance for health and safety professionals across multiple industry sectors.
The AI-Enabled Root Cause Analysis (RCA) module uses pattern recognition, historical incident data, and real-time contextual inputs to identify the underlying causes of an incident. It leverages machine learning models trained on regional and site-specific data to pinpoint recurring risks and human factor trends and can be used to generate predictive insights rather than just reactive conclusions.
“The Incident Report RCA System is more than just an analytical tool—it’s a strategic asset for workplace safety. By integrating historical learning with DeepSeek AI’s intelligent analysis, organisations can achieve greater accuracy, deeper insights, and smarter safety strategies. With this dual-mode approach, businesses can ensure fewer workplace incidents, stronger compliance, and a culture of safety that is constantly evolving and improving,” commented Javeria Aijaz, managing director of HITEK AI.
The AI-Integrated Smart CCTV Hazard Detection System can now connect with AI-enabled smart surveillance systems to analyse live camera feeds for safety-related anomalies such as unsafe or unusual behaviour, unauthorised access, PPE non-compliance and potential hazards like oil spills or improper material storage. By using deep learning-based object detection the system triggers real-time alerts to safety teams, enabling instant mitigation.
Aijaz added that the platform provides a scalable, automated layer of oversight that reduces the need for manual inspections while ensuring high standards of workplace safety.
"These new features were added in direct response to client feedback for more proactive and insightful analysis and automated risk detection," she said. "The market is becoming more technically advanced and requires more mature AI functionality. Traditional manual audits and post-incident reviews, while necessary, simply take too long and cause delays in the reporting process.
“Our goal is to ensure that safety leaders are empowered with real-time visibility, early warnings, and automated analysis to prevent incidents before they escalate, in complex environments especially where there is public interface with the operations or workforce, such as airports, shopping malls, and large commercial facilities. However, it is also particularly relevant to other sectors such as construction, manufacturing industries and plants, refineries and factories,” added Aijaz.
Predictive RCA can lead to a reduction of up to a 40% in incident recurrence, while real-time video alerting systems can provide a 30–50% faster response through real-time video alerting systems, according to experts. 25% average cost savings can be achieved on safety manpower and manual inspections due to AI automation, and facilities using AI-driven surveillance have also reported over 35% improvement in safety compliance during internal audits.
- Details
- Matthew Hayhoe
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 12th December 2025
- Year: 2025
After reaching 30 million hours without a Lost-Time Injury (LTI), an event at the EMSTEEL Headquarters in Abu Dhabi saw the announcement of a new digital assistant, the HSE AI Advisor
The last recorded LTI across EMSTEEL sites was in September 2024; leadership team members and key stakeholders celebrated the 30 million hour milestone.
Group CEO Eng. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi said, "Achieving more than 30 million LTI-free man-hours reflects the commitment, vigilance and shared responsibility demonstrated by every member of our workforce. Safety is the foundation of our operational excellence and remains central to our long-term success."
At the ceremony, EMSTEEL unveiled HSE AI Advisor, a new digital assistant that provides real-time HSE guidance across all plants and employee departments. Al Remeithi continued, "The launch of the HSE AI Advisor strengthens this commitment by giving our teams a powerful new tool that enhances access to critical safety information and supports the consistency of our standards across the organisation.
"As we continue to invest in our people, systems and technologies, we remain focused on building a safer, more resilient organisation and setting higher benchmarks for industrial safety across the region."
The digital tool includes the latest regulatory information and HSE procedures in multiple languages. Employees at the event, which took place at EMSTEEL's headquarters, took part in a live demonstration of the new platform.
In October, EMST£EEL won the Safety Culture and Leadership Award at the worldsteel awards.
- Details
- Louise Waters
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 10th December 2025
- Year: 2025
M42, a global health leader powered by artificial intelligence (AI), technology and genomics, has inaugurated Amana Healthcare Bahrain, strengthening national healthcare capabilities and providing access to best-in-class specialist services
The state-of-the-art facility in Al Jasra is M42’s first in the Kingdom and marks a significant expansion of the company’s regional expansion strategy, underscoring its long-term commitment to investing in the GCC to advance healthcare and improve patient outcomes.
Developed in partnership with Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Amana Healthcare Bahrain is the first specialised long-term care and rehabilitation hospital of its kind in the country. The facility provides a dedicated capacity for post-acute recovery, allowing acute-care hospitals to focus on their primary medical and surgical missions. The hospital spans more than 15,000 square meters and houses over 100 beds dedicated to long-term care and rehabilitation. It is supported by a multidisciplinary team of 250 clinicians, nurses, therapists, and support staff. The facility offers extensive training and development opportunities to further empower national talent.
His Excellency Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chief executive Officer of Mumtalakat, said, “The inauguration of Amana Healthcare Bahrain marks a key milestone in strengthening the Kingdom’s healthcare ecosystem. It underscores Mumtalakat’s commitment to investing in initiatives that create meaningful local impact while supporting the Kingdom’s economic diversification. We are proud to partner with M42 on this achievement and confident in the positive contribution this state-of-the-art facility will bring to the Kingdom.”
Dimitris Moulavasilis, group chief executive officer, M42, said, “The inauguration of Amana Healthcare Bahrain is a pivotal step in our regional growth journey and reinforces our commitment to expanding access to specialized, patient-centric care across the GCC. Our partnership with Mumtalakat reflects the strength of public-private collaboration in advancing national healthcare priorities and delivering long-term, sustainable impact for communities. The facility also contributes to building specialised care capacity across the region and to strengthening long-term care pathways that are essential to improving patients’ quality of life.”
- Details
- Matthew Hayhoe
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 9th December 2025
- Year: 2025
ACWA Power has confirmed a joint development agreement with Bapco Energies, which will see the co-development of a solar power plant in Saudi Arabia which transmits electricity to Bapco's load center in Bahrain
The plant will be developed in several stages, with a final generation capacity of around 2.8 GW expected upon completion.
ACWA Power's vice chairman and managing director, Raad Al Saady, was at the announcement of the co-development project at a Saudi–Bahraini Coordination Council meeting. "This joint agreement with Bapco Energies is a testament to the strong bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and our shared commitment to a sustainable and secure energy future.
" ACWA Power is proud to help advance a project that strengthens regional energy security and accelerates the shift to renewable power."
The plant will be developed in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and will be equipped with large-scale battery storage tech. Such technology will allow the plant deliver all electrecity generated to Bapco's load centre to support the nation's energy needs and renewable transition.
Bapco Energies' group CEO, Mark Thomas, described the project as "another important milestone in our journey towards energy diversification and regional collaboration.
"By working alongside ACWA Power, Bapco Energies is taking a bold step to ensure long-term energy security for the Kingdom of Bahrain while unlocking the power of renewables."
- Details
- Louise Waters
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 8th December 2025
- Year: 2025
Saudi Arabia’s National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) and Sabentis, a technology company specialised in digital solutions for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), are looking at a potential collaboration aimed at strengthening the prevention culture, promoting technological innovation, and enhancing occupational health and safety, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030
The two entities have initiated a joint process of technical analysis and environmental validation to evaluate advanced digital solutions that would integrate management, oversight, and training in occupational safety into a unified national ecosystem, according to an article on Sabentis’ website. The project is currently in an exploratory and proof-of-concept testing phase, to determine the technical and regulatory feasibility of applying artificial intelligence, data analytics, and automation to Saudi Arabia’s preventive systems. During this stage, functional tests and technical pilots will assess the platform’s performance in real environments, ensuring compliance with the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and the standards of the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA).
This exploratory collaboration between NCOSH and Sabentis aligns with the objectives of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which promotes digitalisation and emphasises workplace safety, efficiency, and worker well-being as key drivers of sustainable growth.
“The collaboration between NCOSH and Sabentis represents an important step in the convergence of technology, prevention, and sustainable development,” comments Sabentis. “Although still in a phase of technical analysis and validation, this initiative lays the groundwork for a project that could transform workplace safety in Saudi Arabia and serve as an international benchmark for preventive innovation in the field of Occupational Safety and Health.”
- Details
- Louise Waters
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 5th December 2025
- Year: 2025
Saudi Arabia has introduced the Regulation on Occupational Fitness and Non-Communicable Diseases Examinations, designed to enhance workplace health and safety throughout the Kingdom
The regulation provides a comprehensive framework to enable early detection of non-communicable diseases, enhance workers’ health in workplaces, assess mental and physical fitness, reduce occupational diseases and injuries, and ensure the suiable selection of candidates for sensitive professions. It also seeks to strengthen workplace prevention measures and improve worker wellbeing, thereby improving productivity.
The regulation requires employers to implement mandatory pre-employment medical examinations and periodic check-ups for employees, with special provisions for workers in hazardous or high-risk professions.
It also requires employers to classify roles by risk profile, ensuring that assessments align with actual workplace exposures. This includes tests such as respiratory fit testing, audiometry and spirometry.
In addition, the regulation establishes comprehensive health databases to track the health of all employees, supporting decision-making and enhancing preventive oversight.
The regulation applies to public entities, private sector establishments and non-profit organisations – covering employees of all contract types, including remote workers, trainees and persons with disabilities.
“The new Occupational Fitness & Non-communicable Diseases Examinations Regulation marks a major step forward in Saudi Arabia’s occupational health and safety landscape,” comments law firm Dentons.
“By standardising medical examinations, embedding risk-based approaches and strengthening data protections, the Regulation enhances both worker well-being and organisational resilience.
“For employers, compliance will require investment in systems, training and governance – but the payoff is clear: a healthier, safer and more productive workforce that is aligned with the Kingdom’s long-term economic transformation objectives.”
- Details
- Matthew Hayhoe
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 4th December 2025
- Year: 2025
At the inauguration of the new Jordan Oil Terminals Company's laboratory, a facility that will provide testing and quality assurance services for petrochemicals, Jordan's Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh praised the facility's world-leading safety and quality standards
Kharabsheh also highlighted the new facility's alignment with Jordan's Economic Modernisation Vision, which hopes to enhance the efficiency and safety of key sectors, of which energy reigns large.
Jordan Oil Terminals Company's new facility was reported to employ accredited analytics and embody the highest global standards in the safety and quality of its operations, according to media reports.
Energy Minister Kharabsheh was joined by public and private sector officials and business representatives, as well as ministers from across industrial sectors, at the inauguration. The union of public and private sector was addressed by the Minister, who iterated the importance of partnerships in sustainable development and industry competitiveness.
Ashraf Rawashded, Jordan Oil Terminals Company's general director, suggested the opening of the laboratory will be reflected on as a key milestone for his company, highlighting the key role the oil and gas sector will play in its ongoing operational footprint expansion.
- Details
- Louise Waters
- Middle East
- Region: Middle East
- Date: 3rd December 2025
- Year: 2025
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has won the ‘Excellence in Safety’ Award from the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), the latest in a string of health and safety awards
The award recognises Alba’s outstanding achievements in workplace safety, including reducing total injuries by nearly 60% over the past five years, fostering a bottom-up approach that ensures active employee engagement in safety initiatives, and maintaining the highest standards in safe lifting operations through continuous training and certification of its staff as lifting tackle inspectors.
Ali Al Baqali, Alba’s chief executive officer, said, “Winning this award from a globally respected body like LEEA is a reflection of Alba’s relentless pursuit of safety as a core value. This recognition inspires us to keep empowering our workforce and fostering a culture where safety leads every decision.”
With over 80 years since its establishment in London, UK, LEEA is a globally recognised authority in the lifting industry and related practices, collaborating with cross-sector members to advance safety standards and set benchmarks for excellence.
Alba’s strong commitment to safety is reflected in a number of safety achievements this year, including the milestone of 40 million safe working hours without a Lost Time Injury (LTI), reached on 06 October 2025, reinforcing its position as a global leader in industrial safety.
“Reaching 40 million safe working hours is more than a milestone, it’s a reflection of our strong safety culture, the commitment of our people, and the strong collaboration between our employees and contractor personnel,” said Al Baqali during a celebration attended by senior officials and employees at the company’s premises.
“This success is a direct result of our workers’ dedication, discipline, and resilience. Working safely under the demanding conditions of aluminium smelting requires focus and teamwork and our people have consistently delivered.”
The company’s commitment to cultivating a world-class safety culture for its workforce has been recognised this year with the award of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA’s) President’s award for the third consecutive year, British Safety Council 2025 International Safety Award and several major awards from the USA’s National Safety Council (NSC).
Alba prioritises worker safety into every layer of its operations, believing that its people are its most valuable assets, and investing in their safety is an investment in the company’s future success. Its foundational ‘Safety First’ culture is strengthened by dedicated safety campaigns, comprehensive in-house training programmes, weekly Safety Talks and active shop-floor engagement by Alba’s executives, all of which play a crucial role in promoting a safer workplace for all.