ABU DHABI, 9th May, 2020 (WAM) — The Industrial Development Bureau, IDB, of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, ADDED, has announced in Q1 of 2020, that a further nine high-risk industrial entities have had their Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems, OSHMS, approved in compliance with the Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health System Framework, OSHAD-SF, bringing the total number of high-risk industrial entities with approved OSHMS in Abu Dhabi to 467.

The results were part of a report issued by IDB’s Health, Safety and Environment, HSE, Division for Q1 2020.

The report, which covers the first three months of 2020, reveals that 61 serious occupational incidents in the industrial sector were reported to the HSE Division. During the same period, the HSE Division successfully inspected 205 industrial entities to assess their performance against occupational health, safety and environmental standards. These inspections help to improve the performance of industrial entities in accordance with the requirements of industrial licensing and occupational safety and health standards. The report also highlights that 127 technical documents were reviewed as part of IDB’s efforts to support new investors to obtain environmental permits, which are among the main requirements for obtaining an industrial license.

According to Mohammed Munif Al Mansouri, IDB’s Executive Director, IDB’s HSE Division conducts audits of industrial entities with approved OSHMS as part of its role in implementing the OSHAD-SF in the industrial sector. In addition, the HSE Division conducts routine and non-routine visits to check and verify the status of entities’ industrial licenses.

The HSE Division’s recently issued report shows that 47 industrial entities conducted External OSHMS Audits of their approved OSHMS in Q1 of 2020.

The report demonstrates that 137 services for providing technical advice related to the requirements of industrial licensing and occupational safety and health were recorded. Meanwhile, 204 emergency drill reports were set to be reviewed by IDB, assessing their compatibility with occupational safety and health standards. The bureau also held a series of awareness seminars, among which was a seminar related to emergency response preparedness and one regarding the preventive measures to avoid dangerous accidents resulting from the use of lifting equipment, that was attended by more than 105 people.

The report identifies several initiatives implemented by IDB’s HSE Division, including the development of a guide for the business continuity plan that targets industrial facilities, which falls in line with the continuing efforts made by various government entities to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. This guide helps direct the industrial facilities to develop and implement plans for business continuity to minimise disruption and ensure the continuation of business amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Al Mansouri pointed out that the “Business Continuity Plan Guideline” includes key topics such as human resources management, operations, job tasks, supply chain procedures, customer service and internal and external communication has been developed to minimize health risks to employees and workers of industrial facilities.

Besides, the report features various projects that IDB’s HSE Division is currently working on, such as the project of improving the industrial sector’s performance levels in terms of health and occupational safety, which aims to develop human capacity within the sector and raise their awareness of the environment, health and safety, and to automate technical data and information through the adoption of an electronic system designed to maintain and update the occupational safety and health data of the industrial sector accurately and effectively.

The report also makes specific mention of the basic industries project, which play a key role in achieving industrial security and identifying the basic industries that help in attaining self-sufficiency through studies and analysis of the current strategies in place for food, medicine and energy security.