Qatar- QU marks World Day for Safety and Health

(MENAFN - Gulf Times) Qatar University (QU) marked the World Day for Safety and Health at Work to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally. This day is observed on April 28 annually, and is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem and on how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work theme for 2021, as set by the International Labour Organisation, is anticipate, prepare and respond to crises and invest now in resilient Occupational Safety and Health (OHS) systems. The theme acknowledges the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on people's working lives and the importance of building an effective, resilient and adaptable framework. Abdul Hadi al-Hajri, acting head of the Health and Safety Department, said about the importance of this day: 'The International Day for Safety and Health at Work is an international campaign launched by the International Labour Organisation every year to prevent work accidents. In 2003, the organisation chose this day, which corresponds to the memory of victims of occupational accidents in 1996. He continued, 'We at Qatar University are participating with the international community in celebrating this day, which reflects the university's commitment to providing a safe and sound work environment and academic environment by making the necessary efforts and developing plans and programmes that deal with preparing for and responding to crises, especially as the whole world is beset by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our lives." He referred to the "positive steps taken by the Supreme Committee for Health and Safety at the university to enforce all laws, regulations and guidelines issued by the competent authorities in the country". "Accurate and effective, by the grace of God, and according to the report of the Institutional Research and Analysis Department at the university's Office of Strategy and Development regarding the satisfaction of faculty members, the precautionary measures taken at the university to confront the Covid-19 pandemic obtained the highest satisfaction rate of 84% compared to the rest of services," al-Hajri added. In this context, the Public Facilities and Services Department organised a webinar titled 'Anticipate, Prepare and Response to Crises During the Covid-19 Pandemic'. Tina Balchandran and Ian Permbetron spoke at the seminar about the importance of preparing for and responding to such crises.     MENAFN07052021000067011011ID1102047772