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Emirates marks Hygiene and Safety Awareness Day

DUBAI - A wide range of topics covering Fire Safety, Health Safety, HACCP Food Safety in Practice, Food Handler's Personal Hygiene Practices and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were discussed at Emirates Flight Catering Company's Hygiene and Safety Awareness Day which got underway yesterday at the Emirates Airline Training Centre.

Grant Douglas, Hygiene and Safety Manager at Emirates Flight Catering Company, told Khaleej Times that Emirates Flight Catering Company is organising the Hygiene and Safety Awareness Day for the sixth consecutive year. "As a catering company that prepares over 40,000 meals a day to over 80 airlines' flights, it was a good idea for us to organise a seminar on hygiene and safety which is of prime importance to us as an organisation," he said.

Addressing the attendees at the seminar, Yusuf Zarour, General Manager of Emirates Flight Catering Company, said that at the end of the programme, the information that had been provided by the speakers will encourage the company to look closely at its businesses and life in general, "with a view to continual improvements and adopting a pro-active attitude and mentality rather than a reactive one."

Dr Bill Pomfret, Safety Projects International Inc., Canada; Col. Richard Radford, Fire Service Advisor, Department of Civil Aviation; Abdul Rashid, Director of Consulting and Training Services, Johnsondiversey; Dr Hany Swidan, Regional Manager, Primary Health Care, Department of Health; and Andrew Simpson, Director of Food Safety, Boecker Food Safety were among those present.

Dr Pomfret, who discussed the "The Cause and Effect of Loss", stated that the International Labour Organisation's findings showed that not less than 200,000 people are killed worldwide and over 120 million are injured or become ill as are result of occupational accidents.

"Less than 0.1 per cent of accidents cause serious injury; less than 1.6 per cent of the accidents causes minor injuries; while over 98 per cent of accidents results to downgrading of the efficiency of operations," he said. He stressed that bad management causes accidents, and that the attributes of good management.

A video footage on Fire Safety at Airport was shown. Col. Richard Radford discussed aircraft accident contingency planning, the facts as well as the ripple effects concerning fire accidents at airports. Mr Radford said that post accident procedures should be well-planned, exercised and reviewed and that these involve complete teamwork.

"The airport has to resume normal operations, and arrangements have to be made for passengers," he said, adding that instant and reliable information by the airlines and airport should also be provided.

Abdul Rashid of Johnsondiversey, who discussed Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), said that in reality, progress is slow as evidenced by the low levels of HACCP development, especially in small companies; and it has often been restricted to an HACCP plan. He said that the industry was still confined about different types of HACCP; barrier still exist in achieving effective implementation.