Dubai, UAE, 12 November 2022: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) organised its 20th Internal Health and Safety Week, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote a culture of health and safety among all its employees as well as its commitment to providing a healthy and safe environment according to the highest international standards. The Week featured various activities in all aspects of occupational health and safety.
“Organising the annual Internal Health and Safety Week ensures that all our employees are up to date with the latest global developments related to occupational health and safety in line with our Integrated Management Systems Policy, which effectively implements quality, health, safety and environmental management systems to enhance health and safety standards in all DEWA’s projects and operations. This is part of our responsibility towards our employees, customers and society, to provide our services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, quality and efficiency, while applying the best practices in health and safety and resource sustainability,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
“To provide a healthy and safe work environment, we continue to work to reach the highest levels of excellence and quality through ongoing training, knowledge sharing, and discussing mechanisms for improving the health and safety of human resources and improving productivity, operational efficiency and promoting sustainability. This helps us achieve our vision to be a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation and our commitment to ensure a brighter and more sustainable future for generations to come,” added Al Tayer.
Al Tayer noted that DEWA is certified by the British Safety Council as an occupational health and safety training centre and was the first government department to be registered with the Council. Employees who undergo the training by DEWA staff are awarded credit certificates in occupational health and safety from the British Safety Council.
Activities
The Internal Health and Safety Week featured many activities, including awareness lectures on occupational health and safety and fire prevention, medical consultations in various specialities, sessions on nutrition and dental health, and medical tests such as blood sugar, body mass index, etc., in addition to a blood donation drive in a number of DEWA’s offices. The Week’s activities also included internal competitions on various health and safety aspects and exercise sessions to encourage employees to follow a healthy lifestyle.
Appreciation
Employees commended DEWA’s keenness in providing a healthy and safe work environment, awareness and its training sessions throughout the year. In 2022, DEWA organised 92 training courses and awareness sessions on health and safety. A total of 2353 employees took part in these training programmes.
Awards
DEWA’s efforts to ensure the highest levels of health and safety resulted in DEWA winning many prestigious international awards. This year, DEWA has won the Sword of Honour in Occupational Health & Safety for the 15th time. DEWA has been awarded a 5-star H&S Audit rating certificate by the British Safety Council (BSC) since 2002, with a 97.88% score in 2022. DEWA was the first organisation in the Middle East to meet the global standards of BSI for COVID-19. DEWA won diamond-level awards at the First and Second Harvard Business Council International Awards. It won the ‘Dealing with COVID-19’ award and the ‘Health & Safety’ award. DEWA also received the Gold Award by International Business Excellence Award (IBXA-2020) for Wellbeing & Health.
