Fifteen industrial facilities entered production in Abu Dhabi during Q1 2018, an increase of 275 per cent from the corresponding period last year, said a media report.

The total investment value was around Dh492.8 million, reported Emirates news agency Wam, citing a study by the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB), an affiliate of Department of Economic Development (DED).

Engineer Ahmad Albloushi, the acting executive director of Industrial Development Bureau, has emphasised the keenness of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to strengthen the role of the industrial sector as one of the significant engines of Abu Dhabi economy.

He underlined the Abu Dhabi government’s determination to support the industrial sector by adopting projects and initiatives that enhance competitiveness in the emirate and fulfil the goals and objectives of Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.

The report indicated that the total number of “industry leaders” licenses issued during the first quarter of 2018 is 42 compared to 13 licenses in the same quarter of 2017, representing a 220 per cent increase.

329 UNITS GET OSHMS

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development (DED) approved occupational safety and health management systems (OSHMS) of a total of 329 industrial establishments until the end of the first quarter of 2018, a media report said.

The OSHMS of eight establishments were previously approved during the first quarter of 2018, which indicates the stability of several approved systems in the first quarter of 2018, compared to the same quarter in 2017, which saw nine systems approved, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

According to the Q1 report, there are 12 industrial establishments whose OSHMS accreditations have been renewed during the first quarter of 2018, as per the approved procedures, while risk assessments have been conducted for 196 industrial establishments during the first quarter of 2018, and 87 per cent of these establishments were selected to have their OSHMS developed.

The report of the Department of Environment, Health and Safety included a number of performance indicators, which are the review indicators of the OSHMS, including accidents and environment, auditing, and the industrial establishments’ commitment to submitting quarterly performance reports, according to the annual plan approved by OSHAD for all sectors.

Furthermore, the report showed that the OSHMSs review indicator has achieved 100 per cent completion during its designated timeframe. On the other hand, the accident indicators measure the rate of accident reports in the industrial establishments, which were reviewed during their designated timeframe and totalled 92.

The environment indicators measure the levels of technical and environmental assessment of industrial projects. This indicator was completed within the designated timeframe with a 98 per cent completion rate.

The auditing indicator measures the rate of auditing visits conducted by the Industrial Development Bureau for the industrial establishments that have approved systems, as per the quarterly auditing schedule. The completion rate of this indicator was 100 per cent, said the Wam report.

Regarding the auditing of the OSHMS of the industrial sector, 186 systems were audited by an OSHAD-approved external party during the first quarter of 2018, indicating a significant increase compared to the first quarter of 2017, which had only 78 auditing procedures.

The indicator of the industrial establishments’ commitment to the submission of the quarterly performance report reached 92 per cent, whereby 281 establishments showed commitments to the submission of performance reports during the first quarter of 2018, indicating an increase by 25 establishments, compared to the same quarter in 2017.