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RoSPA EXPANDS ITS GLOBAL REACH TO THE MIDDLE EAST WITH NEW INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS STRATEGY

26 Oct 2012 05:38 PM
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is working to cut the number of unnecessary deaths and accidents in the Middle East.

The UK’s leading accident prevention charity has appointed a head of international operations to link up with organisations and government departments in the Arabian Gulf region and drive forward health and safety on the roads, at work and in the home.

Martin Eagleton, from Yorkshire, takes on the role – the first of its kind in RoSPA’s 95-year history – which is aimed at furthering its reach on a global scale.

Key target areas will include occupational safety and road safety training with driver and fleet services for private companies, training enterprises and the government sector.

Mr Eagleton, RoSPA’s head of international operations, who has spent the past 10 years working in the Middle East and Africa in the telecommunications sector, said: “Organisations in the Middle East region are working extremely hard on health and safety schemes and promotions.

“RoSPA leads the way on training and advice, and the fact that Britain’s standards are recognised as among the highest in the world will enable RoSPA to help Middle East organisations gain more education and awareness in the field of health and safety.

“This is a massive opportunity for RoSPA and Middle Eastern organisations to work together, and potentially to build a cohesive strategy for the region.

We already have a large number of member organisations in the region, which when canvassed, have been extremely supportive of this initiative.

“We want them to know that RoSPA is committed to the region and is here to help, train, advise and increase health and safety awareness. Hopefully this will bring about even better health and safety results in the coming years.”

On the roads, the annual estimated death rate for the United Arab Emirates was 37.1 per 100,000 people, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar at 29 and 23.7 respectively, compared to 5.4 in the UK. This was according to the most recent figures from the World Health Organisation. The majority of road accidents are work-related and preventable.

RoSPA’s intention is to establish a full range of educational training courses, both academic and practical, for the benefit of the region.

These RoSPA services will be delivered in the region by RoSPA and its approved centres. All RoSPA courses currently delivered in Britain and in other areas of the world are now available to organisations within the Middle East region.

The Middle East has become a major business and tourism hub for international companies with new offices, hotels and landmarks opening or under construction, which also places increasing health and safety demands on the region.

Qatar is preparing to host the World Cup in 2022, which will involve in-depth plans on construction, infrastructure, road and crowd safety.

In Dubai, tourism projects include the 3.8 million metre squared Falconcity of Wonders development, which will feature replicas of the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Leaning Tower of Pisa.

For more information on RoSPA’s international operations, visit:

www.rospa.com/occupationalsafety/global/internationalenquiriesform.aspx