Occupational Health is key to business

The regional conference on Occupational Health drove home the fact that by removing health hazards at the workplace can businesses increase productivity and develop human resources, reports Sunil Kumar Singh

Occupational Health (OH) has not got its due importance in the Gulf till now. But all this is set to change. The regional conference on Occupational Health at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel, Muscat, was the first to be held in the Middle East on the subject. Organised from December 11 to 13, 2006, it addressed issues of OH, hygiene and safety, both at national and regional levels. It also acted as a step towards creating awareness in the public and the private sectors about OH practices.

The conference, sponsored by the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Manpower, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Sultan Qaboos University, Safety and Occupational Health Committee and the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI), had the theme ‘Together – Promoting Regional Occupational Health’. It saw 16 regional, national and international experts – from fields as diverse as academia, medicine, government, industry, – sharing their experiences on OH, safety norms and practices with 500-odd delegates.

The presentations by eminent speakers made a significant contribution towards an understanding of various OH issues – care and safety, international standards, using it as an effective business driver, designing programmes suitable to the region, and establishing network with professional bodies and experts. The conference also saw panel discussions, plenary sessions and workshops that all underscored the point that improving health and safety standards at the workplace yields higher human as well as capital returns. Leading manufacturers of OH and safety equipment, research and training institutes, etc., too showcased their profiles at an exhibition organised at the venue.

Underlining Occupational Health significance
The opening ceremony of the conference, inaugurated by HE Dr. Juma Bin Ali Juma, the Minister of Manpower, saw the participation of various dignitaries, including conference chairman Dr Nasser Al Maskery, Chief Medical Officer, PDO, John Malcolm, Managing Director, PDO, HE Sayyid Hamed Bin Hilal Al-Busaidi, Undersecretary for Labour Affairs, Ministry of Manpower, HE Dr. Ahmed Bin Abdul Qader Al-Ghassani, Undersecretary for Health Affairs, Ministry of Health, and Dr El Faith El Samani, WHO representative, Sultanate of Oman.

John Malcolm defined OH as identifying health hazards and taking steps to eliminate them. He added that the conference was part of the effort to address an issue critical for the Gulf region’s growing economies. He also quoted an estimate by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that 4 per cent of the world’s gross national product was lost because of work-related diseases, illnesses and injuries.

Dr Nasser Al Maskery, in his presentation ‘Developing OH culture and practice – PDO’s Experience’ said that health was a form of human investment and a requirement for economic prosperity. This would entail the need to establish a mechanism of standards and best practices at the work place, and a sound legislative framework to preserve them.

Dr David Snashall, President, Faculty of Occupational Medicine, Royal College of Physicians, London, in his presentation ‘The role of legislation and voluntary activity in OH practice’, dealt with the broad spectrum of legal framework available both in the UK as well in UN, ILO, etc. He said that international legislations on occupational health and safety ranged from protecting workers from health hazards to workers’ right to information and data security.

Other speakers included Dr Said Arnout, regional adviser, WHO, Eastern Mediterranean office, who spoke on ‘OH in the Eastern Mediterranean region’; Dr Brian Davis, Associate Professor, University of Wollongong, Australia, who discussed the role of occupational hygiene in OH management; Dr, Samir Al Adawi, Associate Professor, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, spoke on stress management; Prof David Koh from National University of Singapore, on shift work; Dr John Luby, head, specialty medical services, Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organisation, on management of sickness absence and return to work; and Dr John Schneider, Occupational Physician, UAE University, on ‘rehabilitation, redeployment and compensation following illness/injury’. The first day of the conference ended on the note that a healthy workplace requires a healthy workforce, and occupational physicians are central to advising employers and employees on the effects of work on health and vice versa.

Challenges and prospects
The second day of the conference focussed on the challenges in embedding occupational healthcare into business, and targeting cost-effective solutions in the workplace. It also analysed the risks of occupational hazards in developing countries and offered ways to strategic health management planning. Dr. Tawfik Khoja, family physician consultant and Director-General, GCC Health Ministers Council, in his presentation ‘Occupational health practices in developing countries’ said that approximately 45 per cent of the world’s population and 58 per cent of the population over 10 years of age belonged to the global workforce. Citing WHO’s observation, he said that hundreds of millions of people throughout the world were employed in conditions that bred ill-health or were unsafe. Only 5 to 10 per cent of workers in developing countries and 20 to 25 per cent in industrial countries were estimated to have access to adequate occupational health services, he said. In Gulf countries, he said, there were insufficient budgetary resources for Occupational Health, lack of educational programmes, and under reporting of occupational morbidity and mortality.

Dr. Tar Ching Aw, Professor of occupational medicine, University of Kent, UK, spoke on ‘Pre-employment medical examinations and fitness standards’, and Dr. Bernard Huisman, Vice President, Health, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, on the ‘Cost and benefits of OH services in the business’. Dr. Huisman stated that health can’t be left to doctors and company managers should come forward and take charge of devising a health strategy. He added that the Middle East had the opportunity to leapfrog ahead of Europe and other developed countries in health management, provided it changed its traditional health approach.

Dr. Andreas Luedeke, researcher and trainer, BG Institute for Work and Health, Germany, in his paper emphasised that safety management system is a value driver, as it reduces accidents, raises employees’ motivation, improves product quality and workplace atmosphere and enhances company’s image. Citing OH and safety norms in Germany, he said there were three main elements of OH — prevention, rehabilitation and compensation — and employers in Germany considered OH and safety an essential part of the corporate culture.

Prof. Tee L. Guidotti, from the George Washington University Medical Centre, in his presentation ‘Management Systems – Role of OH in economic development’, argued that employers should decide whether they wanted to adopt the low cost of healthcare or the high cost of disabilities. He further said that OH should be treated as an investment and not a cost burden.

The second day also saw three workshops where delegates and speakers deliberated on various topics and came up with suggestions. The topics of the workshops were — How to embed OH into public healthcare; Establishing OH education and research in the Gulf region; and, What constitutes an effective occupational hygiene programme. The workshops held an important position in the overall event as many of the suggestions and recommendations emerging from these workshops were later amalgamated in the ‘Muscat Declaration’ announced on December 17, 2006.

Health risk assessment
On the last day, the conference elaborated on the mechanism and the benefits of health risk assessment. It also discussed issues like management of heat stress for outdoor workers and repetitive stress injury for office workers that are increasingly becoming relevant in the Middle East. Dr. Tawfiq Khoja spoke on health risk assessment while Prof. Tar Ching Aw dealt with prevention and management of repetitive stress injury. Dr. Khoja said health risk assessment basically involves assessing the risks in the workplace by looking for the hazards; deciding who might be harmed; evaluating the risks and deciding whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done; recording the findings; and reviewing the assessment and revising it if necessary.

Dr. Mustafa Khogali, from Ahfad University of Women, Sudan, elaborated on ‘Prevention of work-related heat stress’, while Dr. Mohammad Al Masri, deputy head, Protection & Safety Department, Atomic Energy Commission of Syria, and Dr. Riad Shweikani, head, Radiation Safety Division, Atomic Energy Commission of Syria, presented a paper on ‘Radiological protection from naturally occurring radioactive materials’.

The conference concluded with a presentation on the feedback from the previous day’s workshops. The recommendations included the need to highlight importance of OH as a medical specialty in the healthcare system; create awareness in society about OH; promote OH training in the workplace; and, encourage research in the academia on OH and safety. Concluding the conference, chairman Dr. Nasser Al Maskery, Chief Medical Officer, PDO, remarked, ”The issue has been touched and it has been processed in the right direction. But the mission is still not accomplished.”

Muscat Declaration
On December 17, the Steering Committee of the conference that included Dr. Nasser bin Sultan al Maskery, Chief Medical Officer, PDO, Dr. Salim bin Saeed al Wohaibi, Director of Environmental Health and Occupational Health, Dr. Mohammed bin Ali al Shaf’ee, Head, Family Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University, Abdul-Amir bin Abdul-Hussain al Ajmi, External Affairs & Communications Manager, PDO, Jamal bin Mohammed al Mazrou’I, Health Security Inspector, Ministry of Manpower, Faisal bin Abdullah al Farsi, Director, Insurance Entitlements, Public Authority for Social Insurance, and Oqail bin Abdul Majeed al Lawati, Economic Researcher, Ministry of National Economy, released a 16-point ‘Muscat Declaration’ comprising recommendations and proposals.

Noting the significant contribution of the conference, the declaration read, “This first regional OH conference has highlighted the significance of sound OH policies and infrastructure as a powerful tool to enhance not only personal well being of the workers, but also their ability to contribute to the workforce and society as a whole. The conference has provided an opportunity to help share our knowledge and expertise with the rest of the nation and the region.” It further noted, “The Steering Committee takes this opportunity to express its sincere appreciation and commends PDO for hosting this first OH conference.”

HE Dr. Juma Bin Ali Juma The Minister of Manpower This conference has proved very useful for the Ministry of Manpower in terms of getting new ideas on the health and safety for the workforce. The conference will also enhance both public and private sectors’ awareness about taking care of their staff and make investment on their OH and safety.
Dr Nasser Al Maskery Chief Medical Officer, PDO Occupation is manpower and manpower is occupation. Therefore, OH is central to manpower management. Apart from the medical and paramedical fraternity, there is need to educate the public at large and employers in particular about the benefits of OH and safety.
John Malcolm Managing Director, PDO OH is related to many aspects of today’s business. It’s about making arrangements where people are safeguarded at the workplace and creating a healthy environment for work. Through this conference, we’ve tried to facilitate progress towards a more broad-based framework on OH and see how we can go forward.
Dr El Faith El Samani WHO representative, Sultanate of Oman WHO appreciates Oman’s good record in implementing WHO policies on OH and safety. There is a department in the Ministry of Health for environmental and occupational health. Now, a safety surveillance system is also being set up to ensure well being of the human resource. In fact, the Ministry of Health is providing free medical care in case of accidents and emergencies to any employee irrespective of their nationalities. However, we hope that a comprehensive insurance framework covering especially unskilled employees will be introduced shortly by employers.
HE Dr. Ahmed Bin Abdul Qader Al-Ghassani Undersecretary for Health Affairs, Ministry of Health Since 1970, Oman has taken a great interest in developing human resource in terms of taking care of the employees, ensuring and providing safety in working environments in order to protect individuals from work injures and prevent occupational diseases. Therefore, from this concern both government and private sector have been bonding together to ensure the safety of employees and provide safe working environments. Beside that, in 2004 Oman has witnessed the establishment of the safety and occupational health committee, which was established to serve the same purpose.
HE Sayyid Hamed Bin Hilal Al-Busaidi Undersecretary for Labour Affairs, Ministry of Manpower We’ve set up a committee for occupational health & safety’ wherein we’ve members from ministries concerned, private sector, OPAL, Muscat and Dhofar municipalities. We’ve drafted a set of legislations on OH & safety, which are currently being reviewed by ILO. Once the review by ILO is done we’ll be implementing them in all sectors. Secondly, as a follow up measure we’ll provide training to about 200 people to monitor whether all the companies are following these legislations or not. This conference on occupational health would prove to be very useful in spreading the concept of safety and occupational health.

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