The international standard ISO 45001 provides a recognised framework for an occupational health and safety management system, and many owners in Saudi Arabia and Egypt ask for evidence that it is applied before award or before work starts on site. These are the parts we build the system on.
Policy and responsibilities
A written safety policy approved by the CEO, and a responsibility matrix that names who approves risk assessments, who issues permits to work, and who has the authority to stop work when there is a hazard.
Legal register and contract requirements
A list of the laws and requirements that apply to the company and the project, updated for every new project:
- Labour law and occupational safety regulations in the country where the project is located.
- Civil defence requirements for fire prevention and evacuation.
- Client requirements, such as those of the High Commission for Industrial Security (HCIS) at industrial facilities, or the safety requirements major companies set for their contractors.
Hazard identification and risk assessment
For every site activity: the hazard, who is exposed, likelihood and severity, then control measures ranked by effectiveness:
- Eliminate the hazard altogether.
- Substitute the material or method with a less hazardous one.
- Engineering controls such as barriers, guarding and ventilation.
- Administrative controls such as procedures, permits and training.
- Personal protective equipment, the last line of defence, not the first.
The project HSE plan
The HSE plan turns the company system into site reality: the safety organisation, the emergency and evacuation plan, subcontractor management, site layout (access points, storage areas, pedestrian and vehicle routes) and method statements for high-risk work.
Permits to work
Written permits are issued for hot work, confined spaces, work at height, excavations and energy isolation (LOTO). A permit states the location, duration, precautions and responsible person, and is formally closed when the work ends.
Training and awareness
- An induction on site hazards and procedures for every new worker before starting.
- A short toolbox talk at the start of each day, linked to that day’s work.
- Competency certificates for specialist work, such as crane operators and rope access technicians.
Inspection, investigation and improvement
Regular inspections with checklists; reporting and investigating incidents and near misses to find the root cause; and performance indicators that combine leading measures (number of inspections, close-out rate of findings, training hours) with lagging ones such as the lost-time injury frequency rate (LTIFR).
The working rule: any procedure you cannot prove with a record, a signature or a photo is treated in an audit as if it does not exist.
A free site safety inspection checklist is available on the free services and templates page.
