Source: www.rta.ae
The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has honoured its best contractors and consultants through RTA’s Safety Awards accorded annually to the contractors & consultants who adopt the best practices that ensure occupational safety at all projects and construction sites.
The ceremony, which was held in RTA’s Conference Hall, was patronized by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA and attended by several officials of Dubai Government Departments and Authorities as well as RTA’s CEOs and representatives of various contracting and consultant companies.
Al Tayer honoured the award-winning companies for 2010 where Parsons International Ltd has won the Safety Award for the Best Consultant, and Systra-Parsons finished runner-up in the same category. DURL Consortium, the contractor of Dubai Metro Project, won the Safety Award for the Best Contractor, while Emirates Driving Institute ranked second.
At the level of RTA Agencies & Sectors, the Traffic & Roads Agency grabbed the Best RTA Health, Safety & Environment System Implementation Team Award and Rail Agency finished second. A Special Recognition was accorded to the Corporate Technical Support Services Sector in appreciation of its efforts in implementing the Health, Safety & Environment System. Abdul Mohsin Ibrahim Younes, CEO of Strategy & Corporate Governance, won RTA Board Safety Award in recognition of his efforts in the implementation of the highest Health, Safety & Environment standards across the Sector.
In his speech to the Awards ceremony, Al Tayer stressed that the compliance with the occupational health and safety standards across RTA’s projects is one of the core values that could not be waived or compromised under any condition whatsoever. He also stated that all projects undertaken by the RTA were designed and carried out to the highest safety & security standards and had to undergo comprehensive assessment throughout all implementation phases to ensure that construction processes were fully aligned with the global standards of projects occupational safety.
“Launching RTA Safety Awards comes in implementation of the directives of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, calling for the implementation of the highest occupational safety standards throughout all RTA projects and construction sites. It also stems from RTA’s Strategic Plan 2009 – 2013 aligned with the Dubai Strategic Plan 2007 – 2015 (Infrastructure, Environment and Lands Sector) envisaging the provision of an integrated transport and transit system that ensures smooth traffic movement and the highest levels of safety for all users,” said Al Tayer.
“RTA is assigning paramount importance to the occupational safety issue in all projects and programs undertaken. This attention has been translated into the establishing of special Quality, Health, Safety & Environment Units within all RTA’s operational agencies which are directly cater to auditing safety & security assurance procedures, protecting the environment at all work sites, and subjecting all projects undertaken by the RTA to a comprehensive assessment and audit regime inclusive of occupational health and safety issues. It is also illustrated in the establishing of the Safety, Risk, Regulation & Planning Department under the setup of RTA Strategy & Corporate Governance Sector to make surprise and scheduled visits to worksites and construction projects to verify compliance with all safety standards. Besides that, RTA Board has endorsed RTA Corporate Health, Safety and Environment Policy as well as RTA Corporate Risk Management System and attends to the continuous implementation of the system,” continued Al Tayer
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director further stated that compliance with the occupational health and safety procedures at all project sites of the RTA resulted in a drop in the rates of dangerous occupational accidents leading to death or disability to zero by 2010, in addition to a reduction in the ratio of non-compliant reports in the fields of Occupational Health & Safety at worksites in 2009 and 2010 to about 26%.
“In its 2nd edition, the Safety Awards have been upgraded to cover contractors and consultants who adopt the best practices to achieve occupational safety at various projects of RTA agencies & sectors; which was restricted in the first edition of the Awards only to roads projects of Traffic & Roads Agency. The second edition of the Awards has made a resounding success reflected in the participation of more than 65 contractors and consultants out of their conviction of the importance of occupational safety issue.
“The Safety Awards aim at raising the awareness level of the public and community organizations and urging them to play an active and constructive role in supporting RTA efforts. They also aim at enhancing RTA’s pioneer role in bolstering the partnership and cooperative ties among all agencies, prioritizing the concepts and practices of occupational safety within local organizations and media outlets, broadening the attention paid to safety and social responsibility across a wide spectrum of the community, especially amid RTA’s strategic partners.
“RTA Safety Awards comprise four categories, namely: Safety Award for the Best RTA Consultant, Safety Award for the Best RTA Contractor, Safety Award for the Best RTA Health, Safety & Environment System Implementation Team, and RTA Board Safety Award for the Best Operation Team or employee of RTA agencies and sectors.”
In conclusion, RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to all companies that took part in the Safety Award and extended his congratulations to all winning companies in the second edition of the Award.
It is note-worthy that RTA Safety Awards have a supreme panel headed by Amair Saleem, Director of Safety, Risk, Regulation & Planning, and consists of the following staff as members: Nada Jasim, Marwan Najeeb Razzo, Mohammed Al Ruwaished, Anas Dollan, Hassan Al Baheesi, Zuhair Al Saffar, Abdullah Al Farsi, Ayman Nofal and Suraj Isamil.
