TRAINING COURSE TO WORK SAFETY INSPECTORS CONCLUDED IN YEMEN

SANA'A, Dec. 10 ( Saba)- A training course to inspectors of work and health and professional safety who are affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) concluded activities here on Thursday.

Up to 30 participants from inspectors of the ministry and its offices in five governorates, Aden, Taiz, Hadramout, Ebb and Hodeidah attended the five-day workshop.

Organized by MSAL and in cooperation with International Labor Organization (ILO), the workshop aimed at teaching the ministry's inspectors new technical skills in field of work inspection, health and professional safety as well as making use of other countries' expertise in this field.

In the conclusion ceremony, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Amat al-Razaq Hommad delivered a speech in which she affirmed the significance of workshop in teaching participants technical skills to deal with issues of inspections and professional safety and health at work.

"Our aim (through this workshop) is to enhance capabilities of inspectors and performance of companies in issues of health and professional safety and work injuries," said Hommad.

"This course is considered the first specialized and technical training to inspectors and a foundation stone to improve inspection process and realizing the aims of the Suitable Work Project (SWP) in Yemen."

She admitted that there is weakness in field of inspection in Yemen because of scarcity of inspectors working in the ministry and the so many facilities which their number is estimated at thousands." We hope the number of inspectors be increased to achieve communication and relations between social partners."

"We hope to realize the program of SWP, which this course is part of it, via cooperation between ILO and MSAL. There is a gap in legislations (in field of work inspection) and so that the workshop will work on giving you benefits from experts who have important expertise in this field," the minister concluded.

For his part, Deputy Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Ali Ahmad reviewed aims of the training course which he described as "the foundation stone for cooperation between the ministry and the organization."

Meanwhile, Advisor of the MSAL Ali Shinan said the participants received awareness on relations linking the three parts of work, laborers- work owners- government, in addition to difficulties and obstacles facing inspection process and health and professional safety.

"This training program is technical and specialized to enhance capabilities of work inspectors and promote their skills in this field," said ILO's Project Manager of Enhancing Work Inspection Capabilities Ali al- Waridan.

Al-Waridan, who was also one of the trainer in the workshop, said the project aims at improving inspection measures to be able to play active role in improving good environment between it and work parties as well as realizing aims of the SWP signed between Yemeni government and ILO.

In the training course, the participants received training from local and Arab experts working with ILO on the process of inspecting facilities and their commitments to national legislations and laws, in addition to training on making confirm of health and professional safety in every institution.

Participants expressed their pleasure for the benefits they through the training course in which they got new skills and knowledge would help them while performing their duties.

"I got many benefits from the training course in legislation field and process of inspection. These skills and knowledge I gained in the course will help me perform my duty better," said Taifa al-Jaradi, female participant.

MA