Sohar, May 2015 – Under the auspices of His Excellency Sheikh Muhanna bin Saif Al Lamki, Governor of North Al Batinah, Sohar Aluminium (SA) recently concluded the Sultanate’s inaugural ‘International Symposium on Heat Stress Management’ in Wilayat of Sohar. Organized by SA in association with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Manpower, Al Madina Takaful Gulf Insurance and MARSH OMAN LLC, the Symposium gave more than 120 delegates the opportunity to discuss various Heat Stress Prevention, Mitigation, Monitoring and Management best practices.
“As a company that is fully committed to the health and safety of its employees, contractors, partners and the wider community, we decided to organize this first-of-its-kind symposium to raise awareness on Heat Stress and the many dangers associated with this very important topic,” commented Eng. Said bin Mohammed Al Masoudi, Sohar Aluminium Chief Executive Officer. “Through the conference we were also able to share Sohar Aluminium’s perspective and in-depth expertise in championing Heat Stress Prevention and Management, including how we monitor employees’ Hydration Status and how we successfully introduced an innovative annual Heat Stress Management Campaign to highlight the dangers of Heat Stress and how best to prevent them during the summer months.”
“Underestimating the dangers associated with Heat Stress could pose serious occupational illnesses and injuries including Heat Strokes, Heat Exhaustion, Heat Cramps and Heat Rashes,” added Dr Gummanar Manjunath, Medical Advisor at Sohar Aluminium. “The symposium successfully brought a number of experts under one roof to discuss how companies can safeguard their employees from a very preventable danger by raising awareness and taking action.”
During the Symposium, speakers shared information on Heat stress Prevention and Management programs currently adopted across different industries, proposed a model for Heat Stress Prevention, Mitigation, Monitoring and Management for the GCC region, introduced the concept of using Heat Stress Indices and exchanged technical information on Heat Stress management protocols applicable in the region generally and for Aluminium industries more specifically. Furthermore, delegates also discussed the Ministry of Manpower’s regulations on Heat Stress Management and reviewed ways of raising awareness on clinical management of heat related illnesses.
The full day event was attended by Occupational Health experts, Members of the Gulf Aluminium Council Health Committee representing the medical teams from GCC Aluminium smelters, representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Manpower as well as the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI). The Keynote Speaker was Dr Thomas Bernard, Professor and Head of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at University of South Florida and a world renowned expert in Heat Stress Management. Other speakers included Dr Rajeev Aravindakshan, Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine at Pushpagiri Medical College in India and former Professor at Oman Medical College in Sohar, Dr Gummanar Manjunath, Sohar Aluminium’s Medical Advisor, Dr Mohammed Al Yazidi, Director of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Ministry of Health and Dr Younis Al Shezawi, Medical Officer and Head of Environmental and Occupational Health at Directorate of Health Affairs in Sohar.
The attendees benefitted immensely from the symposium and appreciated the opportunity to interact with the experts in the field of Heat Stress Management. Through such events, SA aims to maintain its close ties with the surrounding communities and raise awareness by sharing its values on various Environmental, Health and Safety issues.