Doha: As part of its efforts to provide care and protection for workers, the Ministry of Labour (MOL), in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), marked the World Occupational Safety and Health Day 2024, which is observed on 28th April every year, to promote occupational safety and health in workplaces and provide a safe and healthy working environment.
Speaking at the event, which was held under the theme “Chemical Hazards: Prevention and Mitigation Strategies”, Assistant Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Ministry of Labour Saad Rashed Al Nabit said that the Ministry’s celebration of World Safety and Health Day 2024 comes in the context of promoting participatory work for occupational safety and health, and encouraging private sector establishments and governmental and semi-governmental entities to prioritise the safety of workers and employees.
He underscored the need for workers exposed to the risks of the work environment to receive comprehensive and
integrated care in accordance with human rights standards, as stipulated in all international conventions and charters.
He added that the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Ministry of Labour is responsible for monitoring the implementation of occupational safety and health procedures. In addition to assessing the risky materials in the work, in coordination with the relevant authorities, and ensuring that the private institutions and establishments take the necessary precautions and requirements in accordance with the Labour Law and its implementing decisions.
He explained that the Department’s inspectors carry out intensive inspection tours to ensure that the necessary measures are taken to protect workers from work hazards. This year, the Department will pay great attention to chemical hazards and will launch a major awareness campaign by distributing several awareness materials in several languages to help raise workers’ awareness of these hazards.
The department will launch a special ins
pection campaign through several inspection visits to companies working in the field of chemical manufacturing and areas where chemicals are handled and used, Saad Rashed Al Nabit added.
He hailed the great role played by employers in promoting their workers, educating them about their rights and duties, and preserving their health and safety, and urged them to continue resolving the issues facing their workers, protecting their rights, and fulfilling their social responsibilities towards the nation.
Director of the Health Promotion Department at the Ministry of Public Health Dr Salah Abdullah Al Yafei, said that exposure to chemical hazards in the workplace is a serious threat to workers and requires a joint effort between many entities, as workers are the most vulnerable group to chemical hazards. He explained that the Ministry of Public Health is working jointly with the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to develop national strategies and programmes that will protect w
orkers from exposure to these hazards. In addition to the active role of the Ministry of Public Health in spreading health awareness among workers on the proper handling of chemicals, prevention and first aid methods, rapid response to health emergencies and cases of chemical poisoning, as well as providing treatment and rehabilitation services for injuries resulting from exposure to chemicals in the workplace.
He highlighted the important role of employers to protect workers from exposure to chemical hazards by assessing chemical hazards in the workplace, using appropriate protective equipment when interacting with harmful chemicals, proper ventilation, providing training for workers to identify chemical hazards and ways to handle them safely, proper storage, and workplace precautions.
The ceremony which was attended by Project Manager of the ILO Office in Qatar Max Tonon, and several representatives of companies operating in the petrochemical industry included a roundtable discussion to address the effect
ive mechanisms for protecting workers from the risks of chemical exposure and ways to achieve occupational safety and health at workplace. The roundtable saw the participation of several experts from the Ministry of Labor; Ministry of Environment and Climate Change; Ministry of Public Health; Qatar Chemicals Company (Q-Chem); Qatardroplets for Agricultural Development “QADCO”; and Doha University for Science and Technology.
Source: Qatar News Agency