Health Authority Abu Dhabi

“Height Aware” Programme

Supported by:

Darren Joubert
Occupational and Environmental Health
Public Health and Policy Division. © HAAD 2012
Presentation Outline
• Why Height Aware?
• Programme Development
• Programme Background
• The Abu Dhabi EHSMS Regulations
• Aims of the Programme.
• Target Audiences/Groups
• Branding
• What is the Height Aware Programme?
• Programme Philosophy
• What Resources are Available?
• Partnerships and Implementation
• Progress 2012
• Conclusion © HAAD 2012
Why Height Aware?

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Working at Height 1900s

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Working at Height in the UAE

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Ladders….

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Not all bad news…

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Abu Dhabi

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Media Coverage

© HAAD 2012
The Details for Abu Dhabi (2011)
Fatal Occupational Injuries in Abu Dhabi Emirate
from Falls and Falling Objects (HAAD 2011)

Total Occupational Fatal Falls Fatal Injuries from % of total

Fatal Injury Deaths Falling Objects

71 26 26 74.6 %

Statistics exclude Fatal Road Traffic Occupational Injuries

© HAAD 2012
Non-Fatal Occupational Injuries

Falls and Falling Objects (HAAD Survey 2008)

Administration Agriculture/
3% Fishing
2%
Transport
Unknown
3%
13%

Other
6%

Construction
Manufacturing 59%
11%

Domestic
3%

© HAAD 2012
Programme Development
• Developed based on best international practice for the
management at work at heights and falling object prevention

• Have been reviewed by representatives from the IOSH Middle

East branch for technical accuracy

• Have been reviewed against the Abu Dhabi EHSMS regulatory

requirements of the new Codes of Practice

• Have been pre-tested on workers of various language groups to

ensure accuracy and ease of understanding.

© HAAD 2012
Programme Background

Participant Company/Organisation

Rod Gray Project Director Emirates Sunland Group

Niklas Gustafsson HSE Manager Middle East Combisafe Gulf

Charles Coles Senior Safety Manager Al Futtain Carillion

John Francis Sen. Construction Risk Advisor ALEC

Cornelius Hatem Project HSE Manager Group 5 Construction

Wayne Tyson Group HSE Manager Wade Adams Contracting

Deon Rossouw SHEQ Manager Ali and Sons Contracting

Helen Nix Sen. Reg. Officer OEH HAAD

Christopher Doyle Head HSE and Sust. Bovis Lend Lease

Mauritz Janeke Safety Manager Al Shafar General

Contracting
Abu Dhabi EHSMS Regulations
• Programme supports
employers to comply with
EHSMS regulations.

• EHSMS gives specific

regulatory requirements
for:
• training
• fall prevention
programmes
• working at heights
• scaffolding
• excavations
• ladders etc.
and should be referred to for legislative requirements.
Aims of the programme:
• To raise awareness of the dangers of working at heights and
falling objects amongst the target groups and the preventative
actions required to:

Reduce fatal and non-fatal injuries from falls and falling

objects

• provide support and health promotion materials to raise awareness

of the issue, increase education and training and enable employers
to implement best practice and comply with the law; to

• Support the UAE Labour law requirements and the Abu Dhabi
Environment, Health and Safety Management System and
Regulatory Requirements in collaboration with other stakeholders :

©©HAAD
HAAD2012
2012
Target Audiences/Groups

Primary target audience:

• Health and Safety Personnel in all sectors where height
work is conducted

Secondary target audiences:

• Employers, CEO’s, Business Owners,
• Supervisors;
• Workers Working at Heights in all sectors including
Construction, Maintenance, Oil and Gas, Domestic,
Cleaning and Agricultural settings

• Large and small companies

• Abu Dhabi and Northern Emirates or Internationally

©©HAAD
HAAD2012
2012
Programme Branding
Falls and Falling Objects Prevention Programme

Branded as: the “ Height Aware Programme”

Oil and Gas Window Cleaning Construction Other sectors Agriculture

© HAAD 2012
What is the Height Aware
Programme
A Technical Programme:

• based on international best practice and local

regulations (EHSMS)

• comprised of multi–media; multi-lingual resources

• targeted at multiple target groups

© HAAD 2012
Philosophy of the Programme Resources
• Provides Awareness and Training Materials and Resources for Different
Target Groups

Workers Awareness and Basic Training Resources

• simple language
• repetition of key messages
• pictorial content

HSE Professional and supervisor Training Resources

• more complex language
• more technical content/concepts
• less repetition of messages

Roll up banner - Provides Promotional Branding Resource, tool box talk resource

© HAAD 2012
What resources are available?

• Posters
• Workers Pamphlets
• HSE Procedure Manual
• Supervisors Pamphlets
• Websites (English, Arabic)
• HSE Animated Video
• Workers Animated Video
• Roll up banner
• Box Set

• All registered companies from anywhere can download all materials

free of charge of the website and print their own copies

• All Abu Dhabi companies are able to collect free materials from
HAAD in hardcopy upon registration

© HAAD 2012
 Roll-up Banner

• Large companies >

1000 workers/Hospital
ED

• Use: tool box

talks/training onsite,
programme promotion,
CSR, Programme
Visibility and
launch/workshops

* Limited number available © HAAD 2012

Posters

• Target: Workers
– different
language
groups
• Use: Tool box
talks/training
onsite, visibility
awareness and
re-enforcement
of key
messages Available in: English, Arabic,
Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam and Urdu
© HAAD 2012
Training and Procedures Manual

• Target: HSE
Professionals
• Use: Technical
Training and
Awareness of
Best Practice
and
Requirements
for Safe Work
at Heights
• 32 pages
Available in: English and Arabic © HAAD 2012
© HAAD 2012
© HAAD 2012
Box Set
• Target: HSE
professionals
• Contains
training and
procedures
manual, DVD
with 8
animated
videos (110
mins of video)
• and CD with all
softcopy
printable
paper
resources © HAAD 2012
Workers Awareness Pamphlets

Available in English, Arabic, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu and Bengali

© HAAD 2012
Supervisors Pamphlets

Available in English and Arabic

© HAAD 2012
Websites (Arabic and English)
• Target: HSE
Professionals,
Press/Media,
General Public
• To provide
overview of the
problem/statistics
• Inform about
resources available
• Register into the
programme/access
to online resources
for free download
• Contact and
feedback page to
HAAD OEH

www.haad-height.ae and www.ar.haad-height.ae

Company Registration Online

Free Access to Online

Resources..
Partnerships and Implementation
• Co-branding of materials opportunities with
government partners, hospitals, companies, other
stakeholders.

• Joint activities and initiatives with EHSMS Sector

Regulatory Authorities, Ministry of Labour and
professional organizations (IOSH) and companies

• Support of injury prevention and outreach activities

with Emergency Departments at hospitals (trauma
center's)

• Guiding Principle: Free access and information

dissemination to all who need it

© HAAD 2012
Progress Made 2012

© HAAD 2012
 Number of companies registered
May - November

700
Number of Companies

600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Abu Dhabi Other UAE Outside Totals
Emirate UAE
Companies 502 81 57 640

© HAAD 2012
 Coverage of worksites/labour accommodation

16,000
14,000
Number of Sites

12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
Abu Dhabi Other UAE Outside Totals
Emirate UAE
Number of worksites 10,681 2,770 717 14,168
Total number of labour
1,511 309 1,905 3,725
accomodation

© HAAD 2012
 Coverage of exposed workers

Number of exposed workers 700,000

600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Abu Other Outside Totals
Dhabi UAE UAE
Emirate
Exposed workers 469,911 73,993 64,629 608,533

© HAAD 2012
Promotion…

© HAAD 2012
Conclusion
• Height Aware programme is aimed at reducing injuries
and fatalities from falls and falling objects on worksites

• Based on local expert input, international best practice

and local EHSMS regulations

• To enable and assist employers, HSE professionals to

comply with education and training requirements of
the Abu Dhabi EHSMS regulatory requirements.

• HAAD encourages all stakeholders to partner in

the programme, encourage and implement it in
their sectors and offers co-branding
opportunities.

© HAAD 2012
 All resources
free of charge
with online registration at:

v
English - www.haad-height.ae
Arabic - www.ar.haad-height.ae

© HAAD 2012
Thank You

© HAAD 2012