Astad has awarded two local Qatari contractors of two major projects for achieving millions of man-hours worked without incident.
The safety celebrations were held on the site of each project as Astad gathered the clients, contractors and labourers, congratulating them all for their efforts.
Both of the contractors awarded are local Qatari contractors that pride themselves on their adherence to health and safety procedures.
The strict health and safety standards they uphold as organisations have led to these achievements. The contractors for the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Headquarters, Al Huda Engineering Works was awarded a certificate for completing 10mn man-hours without any lost-time incidents while the contractors of the HBKU Research Complex, Redco Construction - ALMANA was awarded a certificate for completing 16mn man-hours without any lost-time incidents.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education Headquarters is a new 86,000sq m state-of-the-art building located in Al Qutaifah, being developed to operate their various departments. It consists of a group of five main buildings which are connected to each other by a two storey enclosed pedestrian passageway called “The Wall of Knowledge”. It will accommodate the Education Institute, the Secretary General, the Evaluation Institute, the Higher Education Institute and Shared Services.
The HBKU Research Complex is a 200,000sq m world-class research and development complex that will house Qatar Foundation Research and Development institutes: Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) and Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI). It is a world-class hub for scientific research and technology innovation.
Ali al-Khalifa, Astad chief executive officer said: “This is the second time in two weeks that we are celebrating such an accolade for our projects, and we are proud of the fact that these are two local Qatari contractors, committed  to promoting a safe working environment and sustaining the health and safety of all employees.
As part of our commitment to the Qatar National Vision 2030, Astad prides itself on working with the best quality local contractors, determined to support the development of local companies and a growing private sector.
Among the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s attendees were Nasser Mohamed al-Malki, Administrative Adviser (Buildings) at the Office of the Minister, along with Khalid Mohamed al-Hajiri, director, General Services Department and Mohamed Ahmed al-Benali, head, Building Affairs Section.
Al-Malki said,“This is a remarkable accolade. Health and safety is considered throughout all aspects of our organisation. This achievement reflects the combined effort of all stakeholders involved to adhere to highest standards in health and safety.”
The safety celebrations were held on the site of each project as Astad gathered the clients, contractors and labourers, congratulating them all for their efforts.