"Middle East construction safety lags behind", 1 April 2015

UAE leads health and safety culture in the region, but Middle East remains among the worst in the world

• Middle East one of the worst regions for health and safety
• Report praises the UAE’s efforts
• Qatar and Saudi Arabia lag behind

The Middle East is among the worst countries in the world for health and safety measures, according to a report released by Dutch consultant Arcadis.

The report, which looks at the culture of health and safety by region, claims that “the greatest barrier to creating a positive health and safety culture in the Middle East is its transient workforce”...The report is made up of a series of surveys completed by health and safety professional from five regions. It goes on to praise UAE’s efforts in making health and safety central to the corporate culture of its major cities. It says Abu Dhabi’s Environment Health and Safety Management System Framework and Dubai’s Municipality Regulations have done well to build upon existing labour laws. And while the rest of the region falls behind, particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which have both been central to global scrutiny of its treatment of construction workers, the report says that both Saudi Arabia and Qatar are taking steps in the right direction...