Workplace to look at worker’s welfare, health

The health of employees was in focus at the seminar on Health and Wellness organised by Protectol with IOSH Oman held at Inter City Hotel, Muscat, raising the discussion on whether employee health is an investment or an expense.

As the holy month of Ramadhan approaches and summer is around the corner, a set of expert panelists from various industries discussed the common health issues faced by employers and employees at the workplace.

The event was attended by Abdul Rahman al Yahyaei, OPAL CEO, guest of honour. The panel discussion moderated by Dr Neelesh Sogani (IOSH Oman Branch Chair) had Dr Ali al Lawati (OQ), Humaid al Balushi (OPAL Oman), Dr Idris al Obaidani (bp), Sulaiman al Sulaimi (OQ), Dr Hani al Shraiqi (Sohar Aluminium), Dr Dilip Singhvi (Shifa Hospital) and Mohamed Aasim from Protectol as panelists.

Changes in health parameters for the better will motivate an employee to work happily, pointed out the panelists. They also asked why should organisations wait for their employees to develop ear damage to compensate them because of the noise they were exposed to. Why not tackle the problem beforehand?

During the discussions, Abdul Rahman al Yahyaei, OPAL CEO, said workers' welfare is a cause that has been taken up to be projected and implemented through all the sectors. “The basic law of the Sultanate of Oman has clearly stated that every individual has the right to work in a safe, decent environment. We must play as industry experts to combat chronic diseases. Stress at the workplace could result in chronic diseases – it is an impact of physical or mental stress,” he said.

The panel discussion headed by Dr Neelesh and the industrial representatives debated around challenges faced by individuals at workplace and the reality in the unorganised sectors. “There might be a situation when some employees might not be fit to attend work but they do it anyway and this is known as presentism. You attend the workplace but physically or psychologically one is not a hundred per cent fit. The reason might be due to multi factors, it could be personal, financial, social or organisational issues. The end result is burnout,” said Dr Hani al Shraiqi, from Sohar Aluminium.

The CEO of Protectol Mohammed Nissamudin explained why it is important to stay hydrated. “On a summer day when the temperature goes up to 45°, with high humidity a normal person might sweat about 2L a day on average, compared to that a labourer might sweat 2L per hour. Sweat is a liquid that goes out of your body, which is a cooling mechanism to maintain the temperature at the average level,” he said.

Ajit Panicker, the Country Head of Protectol, Oman, said the discussion helped us to gather experts from various industries and discuss the health and wellness issues at the workplace and to gear up for the challenges that we would be facing during summer while fasting.

Many more awareness campaigns at work sites for blue-collar workers are being planned to be held during the summer.