• Event to underline importance of good occupational health practices and promote implementation of effective occupational health programmes
• International experts to address key challenges and opportunities in occupational health
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Dubai, UAE; November 12, 2011: Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) will host its third International Occupational Health Conference on November 13 and 14, 2011 at the Movenpick Hotel, Oud Metha, Dubai. To be attended by international experts, the event will put the spotlight on the importance of good occupational health practices and promote the implementation of effective occupational health programmes at the workplace.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an estimated 160 million people suffer from work-related diseases and over 270 million fatal and non-fatal work-related accidents are reported every year. ILO estimates that nearly 4% of the world’s annual GDP is lost due to occupational diseases and accidents, in addition to organisations having to bear the cost of early retirements, loss of skilled staff, absenteeism and high insurance premiums.

Mr Saeed Abdullah Khoory, Chief Executive Officer, ENOC, said: “Occupational health management is a priority for ENOC, and is part of our corporate social responsibility to our employees and the society at large. Many of the occupational health issues can be avoided by implementing scientific prevention, reporting and inspection practices.”

He added: “With the Middle East region focusing on infrastructure development and diversifying its revenue sources, it is imperative that modern occupational health management practices are integrated into an organisation’s operations. Our annual International Occupational Health Conference aims to put the spotlight on this and seeks to address the preventable economic losses and negative social impact that health related issues at the workplace cause.”