Oman holds workshop on occupational health, safety of workers

Muscat: The General Federation of Oman Trade Unions (GFOTU) conducted a workshop on “Occupational Safety and Health in the Electricity Sector” from July 17 to 18 at the federation’s headquarters in Muscat.
A number of relevant bodies, including the Ministry of Manpower, Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER), Public Authority for Social Insurance, and Petroleum Development Oman, participated in the event, along with establishments and representatives of workers from the electricity sector.
The workshop was aimed at reviewing regulations, legislations, and practices related to occupational safety and health in the electricity sector and proposing mechanisms for their development.
Zakaria Al Saadi from the Ministry of Manpower discussed the role of the ministry in protecting workers in the electricity sector, pointing out that the ministry inspected 8,890 establishments in 2016 to ensure that businesses were complying with labour law provisions.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Al Toubi from the Authority for Electricity Regulation talked about the authority’s role in regulating the health and safety of working environments in the electricity sector.
He delivered a presentation about the AER’s efforts to ensure that companies operating in the sector comply with occupational safety and health standards, and shared accident statistics related to the sector.
According to the AER annual report, 7 cases of occupational accidents were recorded in the sector in 2017.
Al Toubi also stressed the importance of integration between regulatory bodies to follow up on the commitment of institutions operating in the electricity sector to comply with occupational safety and health standards and intensify inspection and awareness.
Among the recommendations made at the seminar was the creation of an electronic system that would allow all parties concerned to directly report cases of accidents and work injuries, aimed at reducing delays in reporting, which negatively affects the condition and health of workers in the private sector.