11% increase in the number of industrial facilities that complied with Abu Dhabis occupational safety and health standards, says ADDEDs IDB

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11% increase in the number of industrial facilities that complied with Abu Dhabis occupational safety and health standards, says ADDEDs IDB

The number of factories in Abu Dhabi that have been certified for their compliance with occupational safety and health standards increased 11 per cent in 2019 to reach 457 in contrast with 406 factories in 2018, in accordance to the 2019 annual report of the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED).

The report looked into the accomplishments and activities of IDBs Department of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) at the time of the last year, particularly the implementation of the environment and occupational safety and health standards in all industrial amenities in Abu Dhabi.

The report noted that elevating the awareness of staff and workers is an essential part of the emergency plans of different industrial amenities in the emirate. Their attention initiatives encompass training their workers regarding proper response during fire and other incidents. A total of 375 emergency drills took place in 2019 in the emirate, up 14 per cent from 321 in 2018.

H.E. Mohammed Munif Al Mansouri, Executive Director, ADDEDs IDB, stated that making sure the industrial sectors conformity to Abu Dhabis occupational safety and health standards, enhancing industrial practices, and providing a secure and healthy work environment for all are among the bureaus main priorities.

As part of its mission, IDB has been regularly organizing workshops for industrial amenities to enhance their knowledge about occupational safety and health procedures. Through these workshops, the bureau has been meeting the needs of various facilities as well as making sure workplace safety and health in the emirate. The bureau aims to inform all stakeholders in Abu Dhabis industrial sector about international work safety practices, rules and regulations for increased compliance level.

Citing the findings of IDBs 2019 report, Al Mansouri pointed out a 71 per cent discount in the number of warnings issued by the bureau to erring amenities in Abu Dhabi. A total of 28 warnings have been issued in 2019 compared with 96 in 2018.

During the same period, ADDED carried out 750 audits and inspections. The HSE Department, on the other hand, hosted 26 workshops for industrial facilities, up 31 per cent from 2018.

Al Mansouri said: IDB will continue its efforts regarding environmental protection and sustainability and the implementation of workplace safety and health standards in the industrial sector. To make sure our success, we will maintain our cooperation with various concerned government entities.

IDBs initiatives included connecting 400 industrial facilities to the Hassantuk system and developing the Estidama program that caters to industrial facilities. Estidama goals to improve the industrys carbon footprint as well as promote power conservation and waste recycling, while Hassantuk was launched by the Ministry of Interior to make sure rapid response to all emergency incidents and fire accidents that threaten the safety of individuals. Both initiatives are in line with the countrys vision to emerge as one of the most secure countries in the world.

About 60 per cent of the industrial establishments in Abu Dhabi are now connected to Hassantuk, many of which have been classified as high-risk.

Another accomplishment featured in the 2019 report was ADDEDs unified technical evaluation system for industrial facilities, in addition to imposing a mechanism to monitor the risks and accidents involving loading and unloading procedures inside the local industrial sector.

In addition, IDB finalized its survey last year focusing on 483 industrial amenities whose licenses expired between 1997 and 2019. The survey was carried out for the ADDEDs technical evaluation project. IDB inspected these industrial amenities to update its information and take a look at their present day situation. Through these visits, the Bureau reconciled 73 per cent of the industrial licenses that expired in 2018.

Further, in August previous year, ADDED issued an administrative resolution allowing the trade of secondary industrial products in the industrial sector. The decision was designed to increase the internal recycling of secondary products and reduce industrial waste. Furthermore, the branch launched in 2019 a guidebook on safety and security procedures regarding the industrial facilities loading and unloading activities in private ports in Abu Dhabi.