Bahrain : Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa inaugurated the 14th Professional Development Conference and Exhibition, held by the American Society of Safety Professionals in partnership with the ministry.
Aramco Executive Vice President Nabeel A. Al Jama, Chief of Public Security Lt-General Tariq Al Hassan, Interior Ministry Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Information & eGovernment Authority, Mohammed Al Qaed, President of Customs Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Capital Governor Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa attended.
The event, held under the theme “Sustaining HSE Excellence”, includes the participation of speakers and experts from 20 countries. The conference’s lectures and workshops cover safety practices, HSE principles and business sustainability.
The minister stressed the importance of training and capacity building as primary elements for the development and modernization strategy of the Interior Ministry through the implementation of the latest scientific curriculums and best training standards to meet security requirements and enhance competency in dealing with security challenges.
He also highlighted the importance of enhancing security and general safety awareness.
The minister said that the event reflects the ever-increasing interest in general safety related to saving lives, resources and public and private properties.
The gathering of safety experts, professionals and concerned bodies is an opportunity to benefit from the latest technologies and exchange expertise, he added.
Al Jama said in a speech that the participants are brought together by shared goals and aspirations and work to protect assets and ecosystems.
He said that the mission of safety leaders and professionals goes beyond sustaining excellence to pursue continual improvement by raising standards instead of simply sustaining them. He called to consider the digital and cyber realm and identify potential risks across a much broader spectrum.
He noted the significant role of health, safety and the environment in maintaining organizations’ operational continuity.
“At Aramco, we’ve committed ourselves to just such a continual improvement agenda, with actions and initiatives taking place across several focus areas,” he said.
He added that continual improvement is imperative in the safety sector because the challenges are also continually mounting in speed, volume, complexity and potential impact.
Al Jama said that “accidents are a fact of life, but that doesn’t stop us from trying to be the absolute best we can be—or working to be better tomorrow than we are. It should never stop us from learning the lessons when we fall short.”
The celebration included the minister honoring the event’s organizers, highlighting that Bahrain works to encourage such events for being a key element in all development programs and projects.
The minister toured the exhibition featuring 70 companies, sponsors and exhibitors from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
He was briefed on the latest safety, health and environmental technologies and he hailed the importance of the exhibited items to promote the use of available safety tools.
BNA240123