Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) Management Program

The primary objective of our Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Program is to insure the effective control of accidents within the construction site. This is vital to prevent the loss of human life and to minimize the direct and indirect costs associated with damage to property and equipment.

In all of our operations the Al Kharafi companies are individually guided by an established Health & Safety (HSE) policy. This policy is based on a sincere desire to eliminate personal injuries, occupational illness and damage to equipment and property, as well as to protect the general public whenever and wherever the public comes in contact with, or is affected by the company's work.

Al Kharafi recognizes the social responsibility is has, which starts with the importance it places on all safety and environmental matters in all its operations.  We maintain the highest operational standards through our accreditation to OHSAS 18001 (health & safety) and BS EN ISO 14001 (Environment).

Effective communication is an integral part of our site control process. By ensuring that safe systems of work are communicated to all staff members we have reduced our accident safety rates to within the lowest in the Industry.  There are a number of methods by which we communicate the HSE strategy within the company, these include various site based meetings and reporting processes, audits, internal information sheets and of course on-going training.  Training is a vital part of the communication process and at Al Kharafi we have a comprehensive training program all designed to pass on health, safety and environmental information to our staff and workforce.

Our corporate policy statements are embedded in all our works on site, and are displayed at all our project sites and offices communicating our core beliefs to all concerned parties.  These reflect our continuing determination to achieve our standards of excellence and to demonstrate that at Al Kharafi HSE procedures are paramount.

We are also justifiably proud of our safety record.  Through the strict compliance with our HSE systems and policies and the dedication of all our employees the Company continues to achieve impressive safety statistics.  These help to show our determination in controlling all activities and to maintain our professionalism and dedication in the safety and welfare of our most precious assets, our employees.

Company management and field supervision are charged with the responsibility for planning HSE procedures into each work task and for avoiding incidents, conditions and actions that could lead to occupational injuries or illness. While the ultimate success of a health and safety program depends upon the full cooperation of each individual employee, it is the management's responsibility to see that health and safety rules and procedures are established and enforced, and to see that effective training programs are employed to the best advantage.

Safety should never be sacrificed for production, it must be considered an integral part of quality control, cost reduction and job efficiency. Every supervisor will be held accountable for the safety performance demonstrated by the employees under his or her supervision.

Al Kharafi JV has achieved an outstanding record in the safety field and is proud of our achievements in accident prevention.  However, even though we believe our program to be most effective, we also recognize that as long as there are any possibilities exist for even one person to suffer injury or illness, we must continue to promote health and safety procedures and to strive for improvement.

This HSE Program embodies the prevention of accidental injury, occupational illness and property damage.  Each sub- contractor shall provide and maintain a safe, hazard–free workplace for all his employees, fellow workers and the general Public. As a minimum, the individual contractor's HSE Program should incorporate all of the principles of the Al Kharafi HSE Program.

This HSE Program will ensure the involvement and active participation of all Al Kharafi personnel and subcontractors’ employees by requiring them to undergo HSE training programs that will promote recognition of unsafe practices, potential and actual hazards, and the immediate corrective action to be taken. All employees should be constantly aware of their responsibility to work in a safe manner.

HSE Management

The project HSE team shall identify the regulatory requirements that apply to the HSE aspects of the project. Project Management shall ensure that those responsible for HSE implementation and management have access to the relevant necessary information. Project HSE objectives shall be set to ensure compliance with the applicable laws, regulations, government agreements, permits, and project policies and procedures.

HSE Training

All Personnel working during the construction phase of any project will be required to attend a HSE Orientation /Induction briefing before commencing work.

This HSE Orientation /Induction training shall be given to all project employees and subcontractors personnel prior to their commencement of work at site, and shall be monitored by the Project HSE Team to ensure that the appropriate standards are being adhered to.

Suitable and sufficient HSE Awareness posters shall be provided to/and displayed at all project sites, permanent workplaces and the accommodation areas on the site. 

Responsibility

Personnel at all levels in the organization are responsible for achieving the Project HSE objectives; this requires clear communication between project personnel, subcontractors and all other employees.

Furthermore, all subcontractors' and service providers' contracts will cover all the HSE obligations and regulations of the Al Kharafi HSE procedures.

Medical Facilities and Representatives

On commencement of construction, medical facilities shall be established in order to satisfy the contract requirements and local legislation. Al Kharafi personnel shall adhere to all agreed recommendations of the HSE Engineer and local regulations. Furthermore Al Kharafi shall identify all health risks associated with their project sites and workplaces at all times, within his scope of work. The medical representatives on site shall through defined means, adequately communicate these risks to the site management and workforce in an expedient and proactive manner.

Environment

The environmental impact of each phase of the construction works is assessed in the related specific method statement of all works. This is to determine any detrimental effects on the local environment and take any specific measures to minimize any environmental disruption.