IDB registers 193 industrial units across UAE in 2015

ABU DHABI / WAM

The Industrial Development Bureau, IDB, of the Department of Economic Development, DED, in Abu Dhabi, has registered 193 industrial establishments across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the Health, Safety and Environment Management System, EHSMS, during 2015.
Registration is part of the requirements of the system’s regulatory framework and the requirements of Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Center, OSHAD, according to the 2015 Annual Report issued by the Director of Environmental, Health and Safety, EHS, in the Industrial Development Bureau. The figures were released on the occasion of the International Exhibition for Security and Resilience, ISNR 2016, which was launched at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, ADNEC.
From the total number of establishments registered in 2015, 52 EHS management systems were approved, bringing the number of establishments registered in the system at the end of 2015 to 734 establishments, of which 237 were approved, the report said.
Khalifa Bin Salem Al Mansouri, DED’s Acting Under-Secretary, said that the DED’s Industrial Development Bureau, represented by the EHS Directorate, is actively participating in the EHS regulatory authority for the industrial sector of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by helping new investors get the environment permits and by coordinating with Abu Dhabi’s industrial developers such as the Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones, Khalifa Industrial City, Waha Land and Abu Dhabi Municipality.
He said that the DED’s participation in ISNR 2016 reflects its commitment to enforce the EHS Management System which is supervised by Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health to ensure a safe business environment in the emirate’s industrial establishments in line with the best standards, specifications and practices.
“As part of the environmental licensing service, the EHS Directorate of the Industrial Development Bureau reviews, along with the developers, the details of the plot of land given to industrial investors and the proposed zone within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as per the approved Master Plan,” added Al Mansouri.
He said that the IDB coordinates with stakeholders to streamline the procedures and special requirements of potential investors, and holds regular meetings to explain the EHS and project regulatory requirements. Last year, a total of 769 review applications were processed to allocate suitable areas for potential investors based on the nature, size and type of the proposed project.
Ayman Makkawy, IDB Director General, said that the EHS regulatory authority for the industrial sector, represented by the IDB’s EHS Directorate, receives notifications about serious incidents from the industrial establishment that are accredited within the EHS System. Each accident is reviewed and analysed while the industrial facility should conduct an internal investigation about EHS incidents and submit a report within 30 days of the accident.
Makkawy added that the IDB, represented by the EHS Directorate, has been authorised to issue enforcement notifications to establishments that do not comply with the system’s regulatory codes. These include three kinds of notification: Improvement Notification, Ban Notification and Penalty Notification, based on the nature and gravity of the non-compliance of cases reported.
In 2015, he added, 282 improvement notifications and 134 ban notifications were issued to industrial establishments in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This means that a total of 416 enforcement notifications were issued addressing various degrees of non-compliance noticed or reported through the EHS inspection tours made by the inspection team of the IDB EHS Directorate.
Nabil Al Awlaki, IDB’s EHS Director, said that as part of their commitment to the requirements of the regulatory framework of the EHSMS in Abu Dhabi, all industrial establishments that have an accredited EHSMS are obliged to compile reports on their EHS performance on a quarterly basis and that 99% of these establishments have actually submitted their quarterly performance reports to the IDB.
He concluded that during the initial EHS inspection visits to industrial establishment in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, it was noted that many establishments have made considerable improvements to their EHS systems, which reflects their commitment to EHS requirements.