Minister inaugurates GSF2018

Manama, Mar. 28 (BNA): Manama, Mar. 28 (BNA): Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa inaugurated the second edition of the Gulf Safety Forum (GSF2018). The conference was attended by international experts and suppliers of safety tools and technologies, which will help industrial enterprises achieve these goals in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Middle East. The minister expressed his appreciation of the government keenness to provide the highest levels of support to the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) for its efforts in attracting regional and international events that contribute to strengthening the national economy and supporting Bahrain’s sustainable development. Shaikh Mohammed announced the Safety Excellence Award won by Bahrain Aluminum Company (ALBA) which proved the best safety achievement over the past two years, which has created innovative ways to permanently improve the safety and health of its employees and the environment and productivity, sharing examples and practical citations in driving the change process and promoting best practices in health and safety, which have been evaluated by a panel of experts according to many criteria such as management engagement, cultural development, performance improvement, that all applications and enhancements are scalable through key performance indicators. The minister praised the great efforts exerted by Alba in this field. It has affirmed its commitment to apply occupational safety standards and comply with local occupational safety and health legislation, reduce occupational risks and work accidents, that increase employee confidence in the company's protection procedures, improve emergency preparedness, production ,and profitability. He also said that this forum will be a good opportunity to discuss many topics related to health, safety , and environment and the latest developments in this field, for a promising participation with the presence of speakers who will enrich this event with their ideas ,knowledge, and experiences for the benefit to participants representing several sectors, including the oil and gas sector, which is one of the sectors with a large labor intensity. The minister explained that NOGA, in accordance with the directives of the government, stressed the importance of health, safety and environment for the development of human resources because the human element is the most important resources on which any productive institution depends. He added that NOGA pays special attention to issues of Occupational health and safety and directing its subsidiaries to spare annual budgets for good training and to keep the workforce of the latest programs related to human health and occupational safety to improve the health and professional level of their employees that improve the productivity accordingly. Shaikh Mohammed also praised NOGA’s policies and efforts that consider an important decisions adopted by the oil companies and emphasises sustainability in maintaining the highest levels of performance in health and safety field, which in turn contributed to win repeatedly for international awards competing with major international companies over the past years, which came to be a testament to the integrity of the approach by oil companies in the field of health, safety and the environment continuously. The minister praised the efforts made by the Euro Petroleum Consultants (EPC) in choosing Bahrain to hold their distinguished activities following the successful practical experiences in conferences in previous years that reflect the good reputation enjoyed by Bahrain in attracting world events in the global oil and gas sector. The minister thanked the chairman and members of the Organising Committee for their outstanding efforts in the preparation and organisation. The minister also thanked all the national and international oil companies, the speakers and delegations participating in the success of this important event. The forum's programme will include many discussion and dialogue sessions, attended by international speakers from the Gulf and international oil and industrial companies, which has a wide participation of more than 200 specialists from the GCC countries as well as participation from European and American countries.