Staff at the launch of Msheireb Properties’  ‘Safety First’ campaign

Msheireb Properties has launched a ‘Safety First’ campaign to foster a positive safety culture amongst its construction contractors and workers at the main Msheireb project site.
“As a socially responsible organisation, the new campaign reinforces Msheireb’s commitment towards all its workers on construction sites,” projects director Mohamed al-Marri said yesterday.
Msheireb Properties firmly believes that the labour force has a major role in driving forward development targets, and actively contributes to all achievements up to date, he stated.
“It is vital that we instil in our workers the importance of adhering to safety rules and regulations so that they operate in the safest possible environment.
“The programme will also lead to minimising injuries onsite and help maintain our workers’ excellent safety record to date,” al-Marri added.
The two main categories of awards of the scheme are for workers and contractors. The workers will receive a Collective Achievements Award for achieving pre-set milestones in ‘Loss Time Injuries’ and Individual Achievement Awards to recognise a single worker’s strict adherence to proposed safety instructions.
Prizes include items such as prepaid phone cards, prepaid purchase vouchers, cinema tickets and household goods.
The Contractors Award, audited by the Health Safety and Environment (HSE) department, will be presented to one contractor every quarter in the form of an Msheireb Properties Safety Trophy with a certificate of achievement.
As part of the established safety programme, the company ensures that all new hires go through an induction training prior to their involvement in the project.
Procedures in place include daily toolbox talks by supervisors and weekly ones by the HSE staff; risk assessment by every contractor; and daily inspection of the work area by the HSE staff to identify unsafe conditions or actions, if any. 
External auditors conduct a bi-annual HSE audit in addition to monthly HSE audit conducted by the internal HSE officer.
Arrangements for summer working conditions have been set up through the project’s contractors, who have introduced various measures to ensure adequate cool drinking water and enforcing the mid-day break.
These include increasing the number of water coolers, installing ice makers and water stations and stocking up with rehydration salts. These are being distributed through the first-aid stations.
Inspired by the Qatar National Vision 2030, and part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility initiatives, Msheireb Properties also announced that it has started to offer free career-advancing IT training for on-site workers involved in the ground-breaking redevelopment. 
With education as a significant pillar of the project’s CSR strategy, the training course aims to educate workers and raise their professional skill set.