HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), opened the 9th Annual Best Practices Conference on Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment. The conference took place on 25 September 2016 at Hyatt Regency Creek Heights.
The conference was attended by HE Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary-General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Business Development; Rashid Bin Humaidan, Executive Vice President of Distribution Power; and Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA.
The event gathers leaders and experts on safety and occupational health, to discuss best practices in quality, health safety and environment at work, and provides a world-class valuable experience for the participants and stakeholders. Through this conference, DEWA aims to provide a strategic platform to exchange skills and experiences, in addition to international policies and processes required to face increasing challenges, to find innovative proactive solutions in this field.
During his opening speech, Al Tayer noted DEWA’s commitment towards keeping up to date with the latest updates in quality, health and safety, and the environment. DEWA takes priority in ensuring the sustainability of environmental resources, to achieve the UAE Vision 2021, to harvest a sustainable environment with a focus on the quality of air, the conservation of water resources, further dependence on clean energy, and green development in Dubai. DEWA also strives to achieve the Dubai Plan 2021, to establish Dubai as a smart and sustainable city, whose environmental elements are clean, healthy, and sustainable.
Al Tayer noted that DEWA works to enhance innovation and creativity to develop new ideas, procedures, and operations in fields that concern all public and private organisations around the world. This adheres to the directives of the wise leadership, to adopt innovation and creativity across all fields. This also supports the National Innovation Strategy, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the UAE into one of the most innovative countries in the world over the next seven years.
“The 8th Annual Best Practices Conference on Quality, Health, Safety and Environment, reflects DEWA’s commitment to develop its staff, and work with its partners to enhance our operations to the highest levels of excellence and quality, and contribute to achieving the happiness of all stakeholders. The conference also supports the vision of our wise leadership, to enhance sustainable development within a happy and positive society, while ensuring that all government policies, programmes, and services contribute towards building a positive community, capable of facilitating happiness for individuals, families, and employees, while instilling positivity as a major value in the Emirati community. DEWA works to achieve the highest standards of quality and excellence in all operations to provide customers with services that adhere to the highest standards of reliability, safety, and availability, to exceed their expectations and achieve their satisfaction. We also work to achieve the objectives set by the Dubai Plan 2021, which aims to put Dubai Government at the forefront of excellence and innovation, meeting the needs of its customers and the community,” said Al Tayer.
“DEWA is at the forefront of international utilities in health and occupational safety, due to its adoption of integrated administrative systems policy through which DEWA actively applies quality, health, safety and environment management systems to generate, transmit and distribute electricity and water. DEWA’s integrated administrative systems policy includes the adoption of best practices and the highest standards of quality, health and safety, environmental systems and accountability to all related regulations. This includes spreading awareness and preventing injuries, management of natural resources in a way that ensures its sustainability; management of waste disposal to reduce and recycle it; meeting the needs of quality, health, safety and environment to design, establish, and operate maintenance works and the planning performance of quality, health, safety and environment performance systems—facilitating its control, supervision and measurement,” added Al Tayer.
Al Tayer highlighted that DEWA has achieved excellent environmental results, thanks to its adherence to international environmental regulations and the highest standards related to air emissions, solid and liquid waste, and comprehensive marine and land protection, in adherence to the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to support the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, launched by His Highness to establish the UAE as a world leader in green economy, and a hub for the export and re-export of green products and technologies. This has resulted in enhancing investments and reducing environmental violations to zero by applying the latest green technologies. Al Tayer stressed that DEWA is committed to providing a healthy and safe working environment for all its employees, partners, and customers, by adopting best practices through continuous improvement. DEWA also ensures the successful implementation of these standards to achieve the highest levels of safety and performance.
DEWA ensures that all staff, partners, and stakeholders are aware of and familiar with the latest health, safety and environment management systems, to avoid any possible dangers, such as injuries and disease in the workplace. This reduces the number of wasted hours, increases productivity and efficiency, and enhances the satisfaction of our employees, while improving productivity. DEWA’s efforts have resulted in DEWA being recognised globally for health and safety. In 2015, DEWA was awarded the Sword of Honour for the eighth year in a row and the Globe of Honour for the fourth year in a row, by the British Safety Council. DEWA’s continuous efforts to achieve its strategic sustainability goals have played an important role in its receipt of the Five Star Environmental Audit from the British Safety Council for four consecutive years from 2011 to 2014. DEWA was the first utility in the GCC to receive this international recognition. The excellent performance led to DEWA receiving the Globe of Honour for environment, one of only seven countries and a first for an organisation in the MENA region. DEWA achieved full marks for four consecutive years from 2012 to 2015. DEWA also received the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series Certification (OHSAS 18001), and other awards that place DEWA among leading organisations in occupational health and safety.
“DEWA recently won the Gold category in both the Dubai Human Development Award and the Dubai Quality Award, as a result of its efforts and leading achievements in corporate excellence. The Dubai Quality Award is based on the Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), and has been successfully applied in the public and private sectors since 1994. DEWA has been certified by the British Safety Council as an occupational health and safety training centre. DEWA is the first government department to be registered with the Council. DEWA employees and strategic partners who undergo the training are awarded with credit certificates in occupational health and safety from the British Safety Council.
This move supports DEWA’s efforts to apply comprehensive and integrated systems to manage occupational health and safety, while creating international partnerships to improve occupational health and safety standards at DEWA. The certification enhances the standards of health and safety at DEWA, as part of our continuous improvement process. In addition to enhancing the potential and abilities of employees and improving their performance, this training will also increase their satisfaction and happiness,” said Al Tayer.
Al Tayer noted that DEWA organises its Health and Safety Week, internally and externally at all its premises, to enhance health and safety standards and provide an interactive platform to discuss the latest updates related to health and safety. This supports DEWA’s integrated administrative systems policy and its commitment to provide a healthy and safe working environment. Al Tayer also stated that DEWA believes that health and safety standards are not limited to its employees, which is why it is committed to raising these standards among the community at large. As a socially responsible organisation, DEWA remains fully-committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment to all its employees, partners, developers, customers and stakeholders. This will improve work environment, and enhance awareness in the community so they can adopt these practices in their daily lives.
At the end of his speech, Al Tayer expressed his appreciation for the dedication, commitment and loyal efforts of employees, noting that without them, DEWA would not be able to accomplish these leading achievements. Al Tayer thanked all partners, employees and stakeholders for their strong collaboration and trust.
He pledged to continue and intensify efforts to provide best international standards of quality and safety, to ensure the continued development of the Emirate and the leading position of the UAE.
“The Annual Best Practices Conference on Quality, Health, Safety and Environment, has become one of the most important events in the region aimed at discussing quality, health, safety, and environment. DEWA has many skilled and qualified staff, to meet its commitments to guarantee the best international standards in occupational health and safety. We believe that enhancing standards of health and safety at DEWA, is part of our continuous improvement process. In addition to enhancing the potential and abilities of employees and improving their performance, this training will also increase their satisfaction,” said Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA.
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