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. 2020 Sep 21;17(18):6906.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186906.

Occupational Safety and Work-Related Injury Control Efforts in Qatar: Lessons Learned from a Rapidly Developing Economy

Rafael J Consunji  1 , Amber Mehmood  2 , Nazia Hirani  1 , Ayman El-Menyar  1 , Aisha Abeid  1 , Adnan A Hyder  3 , Hassan Al-Thani  1 , Ruben Peralta  1
Affiliations

Occupational Safety and Work-Related Injury Control Efforts in Qatar: Lessons Learned from a Rapidly Developing Economy

Rafael J Consunji et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Work-related injury (WRI) control is an integral part of occupational safety. In rapidly developing Gulf countries such as Qatar with a predominantly expatriate workforce, WRI control is a complex issue often seen in conjunction with the implementation of labour laws and labour rights. We aimed to implement a public health approach to facilitate efforts to achieve long-term WRI control in Qatar. A range of initiatives helped to gain visibility and momentum for this important public health problem, including identifying and engaging with key stakeholders, workers' surveys, steps to establish a unified injury database, and the implementation of a WRI identification tool in the electronic medical records. A contemporaneous improved enforcement of existent occupational safety regulations through heightened worksite inspections and efforts to improve living conditions for migrant workers also took place. WRIs are not only a Qatar-specific problem; the same issues are faced by neighbouring Gulf countries and other rapidly developing economies with large expatriate worker populations. These strategies are also useful starting points for similar countries interested in nurturing a safe, healthy and productive workforce.

Keywords: Middle East; Qatar; injury prevention; migrant workers; occupational injuries; work-related injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A comprehensive framework for WRI prevention and control in Qatar (reproduced with the permission [22]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mapping of the existent data sources and flow of patients with WRIs in Qatar.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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