The Public Works Authority (Ashghal), in co-ordination with Civil Defence, has conducted five training courses on how to deal with fires.
Through these courses, 82 employees from the authority received theoretical and practical training on how to extinguish fires, while 128 employees got trained as evacuation supervisors.
Ashghal has developed a safety management system as part of it commitment to achieve occupational health and safety standards and requirements in Qatar. It includes several initiatives that aim to provide a safe and secure work environment for all employees, according to a statement from the authority.
Among the main elements covered by the system are training and emergency plans.
As part of the safety management system, the authority has conducted evacuations drills at all of its towers over the past two months.
It has been able to evacuate 450 employees from Tower 1 (16 floors) in seven minutes and 30 seconds, 312 employees from Tower 2 (16 floors) in eight minutes, 374 employees from Tower 3 (27 floors) in 16 minutes and 30 seconds, 267 employees from the Asset Affairs main building (three floors) in four minutes and two seconds, and 141 employees from the Asset Affairs warehouses and workshops in two minutes and 40 seconds, the statement notes.
Abdullah al-Khayareen, head of the General Services Section and evacuation project manager at Ashghal, said: “The training comes as part of the implementation of the senior management’s vision in the authority, which aims to provide training to the largest possible number of employees on evacuation and first-aid procedures.”
The authority has also conducted six first-aid training courses in co-ordination with Qatar Red Crescent Scoeity, in which 92 employees from Ashghal received theoretical and practical training on first-aid procedures.
Participants of the evacuation and first-aid drills were selected based on the employees’ desire to participate and to ensure that trained staff members are present across each department, floor and tower in the authority.
Ashghal has said it plans to conduct more such courses in the coming years in order to enable each employee to deal with fires and implement first-aid procedures during emergencies, whether within the authority or in his/her personal life.