On 26 April 2019 the BWI conducted the first ever Practitioners’ Forum on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), in cooperation with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) of Qatar. More than 30 safety officers and specialists from different companies and construction-sites in Qatar as well as safety inspectors from Sweden and the United Kingdom took part in the forum commemorating OSH month in Qatar.
“Qatar has made a number of critical reforms in a very short period that has improved the working and living conditions for many construction workers,” said BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson. “The BWI has conducted fourteen joint inspections based on the agreement we signed with the Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy, but this only cover 30,000 out of a million construction workforce in Qatar. This joint workshop is part of BWI’s partnership with the Ministry to address the safety conditions for all construction workers.”
This first forum for safety officers in Qatar began with MADLSA’s Head of Inspections Jabir Ali Jabir Almerri, who outlined the Ministry’s role in ensuring a safe working environment and accommodation, as well as protecting workers’ rights. He added that Qatar’s Labour Law and Ministerial Decrees contain several OHS provisions to protect the workers. He recognized BWI in initiating the joint forum to talk to safety experts from the worksite.
In the panel discussion on models of OHS Policy and Programs, the MADLSA announced that an Inspection Policy has been developed with technical inputs from the ILO and it shall be launched on the International Workers’ Memorial Day.
ILO Qatar Technical Officer Marialaura Fino outlined its work developing the capacity of over 100 labour inspectors in Qatar. She further shared that the ILO is supporting the Government to undertake an assessment on OHS in Qatar to address existing gaps and to ensure enforcement.
David Persson and Markku Rantamaki from Malareforbundet (Swedish Painters Union) described how they negotiate higher OHS standards and provisions in collective agreements than the legal requirements. They also emphasized the important role worksite-level safety committees play in the implementation of the agreements and ensuring safety and health at the worksite.
Simon Hester, former safety inspector for the U.K. Health Safety Executive shared his impressions specifically on the role of workers’ representatives and the importance of workers’ voices in decisions on health and safety. He also outlined various OHS provisions under the Qatar Construction Specifications (QCS) that resulted in detailed discussions on QCS in relation to its status and applicability in the context of Qatar Labour Law.
The highlight of the workshop was the interaction of safety officers working resulting in a series of important conclusions and recommendations. These included violations of Wage Protection System (WPS), business-tourist visa concerns, language barriers in OHS orientation, prosecution and harassment of safety officers in cases of worksite accidents, inclusion of workers’ representatives in the workers’ induction programme, harmonization of OHS standards and trainings, grading of companies, accreditation and verification by the Government at national level and role of National OHS Committee at the MADLSA.
The recommendations were welcomed by the MADLSA and it was agreed that BWI and MADLSA will continue to engage to find ways to implement the actions points outlined in the workshop.