Qatargas participated in the first Qatar Petroleum Occupational Health Conference held last month under the patronage of HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Affairs, Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada.Held under the theme ‘Towards a healthier workforce’, the conference featured professional paper presentations, panel discussions, networking sessions, lectures, case study discussions and interactive workshops. Qatargas chief medical officer Dr Osama Ibrahim presented a paper titled ‘Medical Challenges in Mega LNG Train Shutdowns’. The paper discussed the various programmes and measures put in place by the Qatargas medical department to ensure the health and safety of employees and contractors, especially during the planned maintenance of LNG trains, which involve hundreds of people working round the clock. Various aspects of health and hygiene, such as fitness for work, heat stress, noise exposure, respiratory exposure, ergonomic hazards and food safety and hygiene hazards were addressed.Regional and international experts in occupational health spoke at the conference. The conference focused on a wide range of topics, including workplace health promotion programmes, the cardiovascular disease burden in the workplace, work-related stress in the oil and gas industry, and industrial hygiene regulatory framework and compliance. The conference provided an opportunity to present and discuss scientific researches to find the best practices and innovative programmes for safeguarding the health and safety of employees.