Concerning human safety in the
Emirate of Sharjah and in alignment with local legislation and best
international practices in the field of safety and health, SPSA have developed
the Occupational Safety & Health Sharjah System (to be known as the OSHJ
System) to assist the safety of activities in the Emirate by providing the
necessary information to monitor and analyses risks and implement the
necessary control measures. The systems jurisdiction will include private
entities registered with the Department of Economic Development in the Emirate
of Sharjah, in addition to entities registered in Sharjah International Airport
Free Zone, Hamriyah Free Zone and all Government entities within the
emirate.
The OSHJ system relies on a registration mechanism that allows SPSA to classify entities according to the
level of risk within their entity; the classification category will
further determine and outline the requirements necessary to practice the entities’ activities in a safe and healthy manner. The system will require all entities
to report incidents in the workplace to SPSA within a maximum period of 24
hours for fatal accidents and 72 hours for other incidents. The incident data will
be collected for analysis purposes to improve future preventive measures to
avoid the recurrence of incidents. Failure to report incidents by entities will
expose them to severe disciplinary measures. In addition, periodic reports on
occupational safety and health data in the workplace will require submission. The
system will require each entity to implement the necessary measures to
ensure the safety of workers, visitors, contractors, and all those affected by
its activities.
The OSHJ system provides Codes of
Practices and Guidelines that outline to entities the recommended way to undertake
hazardous activities in the Emirate. SPSA shall implement a monitoring
mechanism to ensure the compliance of private entities with the requirements of
the system, through which observations of non-compliance and subsequent follow-ups
to ensure the provision of a safe and healthy work environment in the emirate.
All requirements mentioned in the
Occupational Safety and Health Sharjah System (OSHJ system) are compliant with Federal
legislation in the United Arab Emirates. The system is distinguished by its
inclusion of all work activities in the Emirate, regardless of their nature and
whether the entity is a private or governmental entity. His Highness Sheikh Dr.
Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah, wishes to protect all workers in
the Emirate; regardless of the nature of their work or the entity to which they
belong.
