How industrial safety is evolving in the Middle East market?

The idea of industrial safety is primarily related to the reduction of various industrial hazards. Any situation whether chemical or physical that results in the injury of a person or causes harm to its safety is considered a hazard. The safety system in the industries such as oil and gas plants is an important countermeasure to protect not only humans but also manufacturing plants and the environment when things go haywire beyond permissible margins.

In short, the management is responsible for all the operational procedures to safeguard its employees and assets against hazards, accidents, risks and near misses. Where thousands of industrial accidents occur daily, causing property damage, temporary or permanent disability, and even deaths of workers, the importance of industrial safety becomes more relevant.

Why is industrial safety important?

Human loss is intolerable and immeasurable. Just like we all office goers leave our homes for work in the morning and want to get back home safe and sound, every worker involved in high-risk industries desires to work in a safe environment.

According to the International Labour Organization, over 2.78 million people die annually due to occupational accidents or work-related diseases, and an additional 374 million suffer from work-related injuries resulting in more than 4 days of absence from work.

Imagine our loved one not coming back from work, or we get a phone call that he or she is in hospital. These unwanted thoughts will only get us goosebumps. This is the reason why industrial safety becomes of utmost importance. However, other significant reasons shed light on the importance of industrial safety.

Huge cost savings

Industrial accidents or mishaps can incur several direct and indirect costs to the company, and every organization wants to prevent these incidents. In terms of direct costs, these are mainly attributed to the total compensation a company has to pay to the employee, in case of permanent disability or death.

Indirect costs are usually the disbursement of the hospital treatment and bills of the affected employee. So, appropriate safety in the working environment can save a large amount of money for the organization.

Legal compliance

If a company or organization adheres to the regulatory laws of the government, which are made to facilitate a safe and healthy working atmosphere, it automatically translates into better safety management, and fewer chances of accidents. Fear of intense penalties can also make any organization compliant with the regulations.

If strict safety actions are implemented regularly, it will not only improve motivation and job satisfaction of the workers but also help human resources management and present as a role model for other organizations.

Employee satisfaction, loyalty and commitment

A safe and healthy working environment will result in a positive outcome in terms of motivation and satisfaction in the workforce. According to research conducted in Turkey by collecting data from 128 manufacturing companies, safety training had a significant positive effect on workers’ participation, involvement, and satisfaction.

Every employee expects the organization to first think about their health and safety by implementing sound policies, only then they will develop a sense of emotional attachment and obligation, and will most likely commit themselves to the company and return good performance.

Improved industrial relations and corporate reputation

Harmonious relations between the management and the workers can only be ensured via better safety provisions. A work atmosphere with better social, physical, and mental well-being and loaded with full of cutting-edge safety measures is considered a benchmark.

The study and practice of combined negotiations, labor-management relations, and using the same safety methods across the organization, can manifest good feelings in the manpower and build harmonious relations in the long term. This will eventually increase brand trust and corporate reputation of the company, while poor health and safety management will adversely affect the business.

As commercial business across the globe continues to grow, a more solid attitude towards occupational health and safety is needed, especially the vulnerable industries like oil and gas.

According to Dodge Data SmartMarket Report, more than 75 percent of the contractors who reported using more online safety training attributed the growth either partly or completely to COVID-19.

This is one of the reasons industries in the regions like the Middle East are seriously taking the health and safety issues, especially when the world is dealing with the menace of the Covid-19 pandemic.

How Middle Eastern market is accepting and taking industrial safety seriously

Although the Covid pandemic has put a brake on commercial activities, the one thing that the world is taking seriously is health and safety, and the Middle East region is no different. Workplace health and safety is not only beneficial in terms of productivity and building reputation but also a profitable opportunity for technology vendors across the world.

According to a new market research report published by MarketsandMarkets, the workplace safety market size is expected to grow from US$12.1bn in 2020 to US$19.9bn by 2025, at a CAGR of 10.4% during the forecast period.

A decade back, there was a lack of awareness in the middle-east region, with the workers at height seen working without appropriate scaffolding and proper harness. But, now there is a huge improvement.

Development in the legislation and regulations

The recent development in the field of occupational health and safety is promising and has helped drive positive changes in the policies. There are many government organizations and multinational firms outside UAE pushing forward their progress via certifications, which are in line with the latest international OHS standard, such as ISO 45001.

Complying with this certification means the company has successfully turned any uncontrolled dangers into controlled risks, simultaneously protecting the well-being of both the business and the employee. In fact, the region of the Middle East is only second to the United Kingdom to have the maximum number of LR (Llyod’s Register, known for quality construction and operation of critical infrastructure) clients to have either embraced this certification or have applied to migrate from earlier OHSAS 18001 standards.

As GCCs’ construction industry continues to grow, more and more companies are now involved in enhancing their safety models.

According to a survey in April 2019 by law firm Pinsent Mason, construction companies in the region expect to receive more orders this year than previous, with Saudi Arabia being the leading market to deliver growth.

The majority of the firms surveyed were involved in projects worth USD 27–135 million, with an increased focus on improving health and safety management.

And that brings us to our next point as to what are those key aspects of an industrial safety standard that are designed to improve safety management processes and programs within the company.

What are the main elements of industrial safety standards?

The best of organizations around the world strive to prioritize the health and safety of the employee and lay emphasis on making it a shared responsibility for everyone. These organizations implement this systematically and strategically that enables them to effectively practice prevention techniques, while simultaneously giving them training to swiftly tackle any unwanted incidents.

An effective health and safety management program in an industry should have the following features or characteristics:

Reducing the risk of workplace incidents

One of the key features that come under the workplace safety standards is to eliminate the chances of incidents, injuries and fatalities as much as possible. It can be done through data-driven measurements and improving technologies.

It may also include the design of the workplace aimed more at physical aspects of the working atmosphere.

Involvement of every worker and professional to have a collective responsibility

Unity is strength. We have heard this term hundreds of times in our life. The more and more people involved from different parts of an organization, the more they realize the importance of safety. Collective responsibility means:

• All the issues communicated via a copy of health and safety posted clearly and regularly.
• Encouragement of worker involvement in the policy-making
• Active participation of employees in safety activities and communicating and understanding the same via questions and answers

Safety hazard prevention and control

Another crucial element of industrial safety standard is the anticipation of the types of risks that exists and what could occur in the future. Some of the examples include:

• Properly and frequently maintaining vehicles and equipment
• Creating awareness about operating personal protective equipment (PPE)
• The right training of the employees on handling specific situations using the correct procedures

How improvising industrial safety can save the life of workers and increase the profits margin

The practical aim of industrial safety should be to reduce the environmental impact on the workplace. And the role of the safety professional is to find the opportunity for considerable improvement of the safety measures using practical efforts.

Below are some of the important points, if implemented properly, can improvise industry and increase profit margins right to some extent:

Formulation of safety policies

Outlining and embracing the company’s safety policy at first shows the intention and importance of safety management. These policies can be what should be done in case of fire, detailed instructions on dealing with injuries while working, and how often fire drills are conducted.

Proper and timely reporting

Once the workers know how to identify workplace hazards or other safety-related issues, they must share that information with a responsible senior officer like a supervisor or other person in charge of solving safety problems.

Utilizing leading and lagging indicators

Many organizations with excellent safety records use a measurement method to evaluate the earlier and ongoing aspects of safety operations. These are known as lagging and leading indicators. The lagging indicator measures lost workdays, worker’s compensation cost, and injury frequency while leading indicators measure safety training frequency, safety audits and inspection, and workers' involvement in proactive activities.

The leading indicators quickly and precisely understand high-risk situations and provide speedy insight to avoid future accidents. Investing in the safety management software with analytics can also help solve the problem and return better on investment.

Using cutting edge tools and systems

Organizations with brilliant low injury records use modern-day tools to keep their worker completely prepared to handle whatever comes suddenly.

Safety management solutions — The first in this respect is the use of mobile safety management solutions, and this is becoming even more relevant in the present day context as young employees grew up as digital tech-savvy.

Use of Industrial safety devices — Using safety devices not only protect workers but also various other equipment and machinery from a serious impairment, which in turn, results in expensive downtime and repairing.

Most industrial processes and operations are done using high-speed machinery, forklifts, and other equipment for moving parts from one place to another or handling hazardous materials. In fact, if forklifts are handled safely, the companies can save a huge amount on maintenance and repairs.

Similarly, companies like SharpEagle have been providing automated safety solutions such as Explosion proof CCTV cameras, radar-based blind spot detection, anti-collision system, speed limiters, warning lights, etc. This safety equipment when combined with heavy machinery like forklifts can add an extra layer of safety, especially in confined workplaces. It not only bolsters safety aspects by reducing injuries and fatalities but also enhances operational efficiency.

Conclusion

With all the latest technology available today, there should be no excuse to not enforce a safe environment for workers. Putting strong effort into the well-being of the workers can encourage better teamwork, rise in productivity, and cut down sick leave and workplace accidents.

In industries, workplace safety and productivity go hand in hand, and investing in new safety measures can uplift the bottom line and contribute to a successful and profitable business.