Work related injuries cost Gulf businesses millions

The treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of work-related illnesses will be highlighted during the five-day conference from January 30 to February 3 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai.

World-renowned expert in occupational medicine, Professor Paul Brandt-Rauf, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the 3rd Annual Occupational Health Conference, it was announced today.

Professor Brandt-Rauf, chairman, Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Deputy Director, Centre for Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA, will speak about the advances in molecular science in preventing occupational health injuries.

"Organizations across the world are losing money because of workers who suffer injuries while at work," said Prof. Brandt-Rauf. "The cost to business cannot be ignored, and conferences such as this continue our understanding as to why such injuries and illnesses occur, and how they can be treated and prevented."

The professor is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the Royal Society of Medicine. He has also written over 180 journal articles and book chapters on the subject, and is currently editor-in-chief of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Precise figures on the cost to industry of work-related health problems in the Middle East are not available, but business analysts estimate the total runs into millions of dollars, with millions of workdays lost every year.

Worker absence has the biggest impact on productivity, but indirect costs also include deploying workers to cover for the sick or injured employee, removing them from their own duties. Compensation payments and the resulting increase in insurance premiums are other financial penalties caused by staff that are injured or become ill during work.

"We are delighted to have Professor Paul Brandt-Rauf as our keynote speaker for the conference," said Jackie Wilks, Conference Director, IIR. "He is an international expert in this field and will provide delegates with the most current research into scientific aspects of detecting and preventing occupational health injuries and illnesses."

For the second year running, the GCC Occupational Health Conference has been awarded the Gold Seal of Accreditation from the American Academy of Continuing Medical Education (AACME). The certification means the conference has undergone an extensive assessment and peer-based survey of its facilities, programmes and services.

The AACME accreditation ensures many Middle East practitioners, who would previously have to travel outside the region to continue their education, can now undergo continuing medical education while attending the conference.