This morning we all pilled into our team bus and started our journey to site for the very first time! Very exciting as everyone was bubbling with energy as we got to see the real Dubai! Today was the welcome ceremony and safety induction. There were speeches by many interesting people and we learnt the difference between health and safety. The topics discussed were the importance of health and safety, risk assessments, near miss reporting, good housekeeping, personal protective equipment, health and safety signage, and fire safety.

An interesting point that I had never thought of is the fact that a near miss is an indication that something is wrong and that by reporting the near miss we reduce our tolerance for risks and minimise any future accidents.

A key aspect that we have tried to embody as well ourselves as a team is that we are one safe family and need to keep each other safe. We do this by having a place for everything and making sure everything is in its proper place, ALWAYS.

We were interested and intrigued by our safety training because the instructor asked us questions. In particular, he asked what each colour safety sign meant and related the meaning to each team. For example, there were teams in red, green, yellow and blue. Each of these colours have a particular meaning as safety signs and by relating to each colour to a team it made it more entertaining and memorable.

To finish the safety induction, we watched a quick video about reporting, investigating and eliminating risks. I found today extremely interesting and I’m looking forward to our safe and happy construction of the Desert Rose House!

– Brittany Ryan, QSE Manager