The Community Service, Consultation, Training, and Continuing Education (CSCTCE) Centre at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) recently concluded the “Health and Safety Risk Management and Assessment” workshop for a number of employees in the university’s security department. The workshop aimed to evaluate security risks in the work environment and raise awareness of health and safety regulations in academic buildings.
Engineer Ali Abu Zaid from Be Safe Consultancy, the workshop trainer, emphasised that risk assessment in the workplace is a key tool for improving health and safety conditions. He explained that the training workshop was organised to activate and ensure the implementation of occupational health and safety principles in the university’s work environment, with the aim of enabling employees to identify workplace hazards and implement appropriate measures to minimise accidents, and improve health and safety levels in academic facilities.
The training also included an introductory session highlighting the importance of risk assessment in making university buildings safer. Mr. Abu Zaid explained the five steps of risk assessment and conducted scientific exercises on each step, clarifying how improvements in health and safety are chosen and implemented using the hierarchical sequence of hazard control measures.
Commenting on this matter, Mr. Abu Zeid stated: “The main idea behind risk assessment is to determine the amount of harm that could result and then take appropriate measures to minimise it based on the type of risk. This is done in an attempt to create a safe and risk-free work environment as much as possible.”
For her part, Dr Afaf Bugawa, Director of the CSCTCE Centre, highlighted the centre’s commitment to organising specialised workshops that meet the needs of various sectors in education, medicine, and administration throughout the academic year, aiming to equip and enhance the capabilities of participants in training.
Dr Bugawa explained: “This workshop is part of the university’s commitment to providing a safe work environment for everyone according to the highest standards. This requires understanding and knowledge from all university staff of the fundamentals of security and safety.”
She added: “Identifying risks using the risk assessment process is essential to ensure the health and safety of university staff while performing their duties. This is done by reducing risks in an attempt to guarantee the safety of lives and the continuity of the workplace as a safe space, where risk assessment should be carried out continuously according to the regulations set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.”
