A new IOSH branch is due to open in Qatar with a launch event planned in Doha in October 2012. Stephen Asbury of CRS has already been asked to be a speaker at a branch event, as we are so active in Qatar and the middle east region.
The move builds on the success of the IOSH Middle East Branch, which was launched in 2006 and has quickly grown to be the Institution’s second largest international branch with more than 900 members. The process to become a branch gathered momentum after interim Branch Chair David Hayes, who heads a provisional committee, submitted a bespoke business plan and a branch status request application form in 2011. The documentation was approved last autumn and now IOSH is seeking a local government ‘champion’ to give the new branch official approval at local level.
With clear focus on regional collaboration, IOSH President Subash Ludhra travelled to Doha in October 2011 to present a paper on stress management at the 7th HSE forum. Similarly, a month earlier David Hayes opened the Prosafe conference in the city with a session on process safety integrity. The Total Safety Forum, chaired by David, and the 8th HSE forum, of whose advisory panel David is a member, will take place in Doha at the end of 2012.
With already more than 120 members holding regular monthly meetings, Qatar’s notable role in IOSH’s work will continue to develop and attract more members in the region. The strong likelihood that Qatar will host the IOSH Middle East conference in 2013 pays respect to its recognised and growing significance.
The new Branch demonstrates IOSH’s aim to echo the needs of overseas members. It also openly promotes the legal and cultural issues that affect different areas while enabling a joined-up approach to shared issues across Qatar.
IOSH members in Oman, where this year’s IOSH Middle East conference will take place, are planning to apply for branch status too.
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