Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has been awarded the Sword of Honour for health and safety, and the Globe of Honour from the British Safety Council, for its efforts to protect the environment. The awards were received by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, at DEWA’s main office, with Hussain Lootah, Executive Vice President of Transmission Power, Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation, Rashid Bin Humaidan, Executive Vice President of Distribution Power at DEWA, Abdullah Al Hajri, Executive Vice President of Customer Happiness at DEWA, Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA, Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at DEWA, Dawood Mohammed Khalid, Vice President of Commercial and Business Improvement, Marwan Al Zaabi, Vice President of Corporate Excellence at DEWA, Dr Tawfiq Omeish, Senior Manager for Safety, Occupational Health and Environment at DEWA, and Dr Bassam Mrayyan, Senior Manager of Environment at DEWA.
Dr Yousef Al Akraf received the award on behalf of HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, at an awards ceremony at Draper’s Hall, in London.
Receiving the Sword of Honour for health and safety for the eighth time, and the Globe of Honour for the fifth time, reflects DEWA’s role as an international leader in health and safety, and environment. DEWA is one of seven international organisations to be awarded with the Sword of Honour, and the Globe of Honour.
“In adherence with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to promote the sustainable development, and to support the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative launched by His Highness, DEWA has achieved excellent environmental results, thanks to its adherence to international environmental regulations and the highest standards related to air emissions, solid and liquid waste, and comprehensive marine and land protection. This resulted in enhancing investments and reducing environmental violations to zero by applying the latest green technologies. DEWA is working to achieve its strategic sustainable environment goals, and monitors and evaluates strategic environmental programmes and sustainability programmes to continuously improve. This prestigious award confirms DEWA’s ongoing commitment to achieving its strategic goals and protecting the environment as a priority to achieve the sustainable development,” said Al Tayer.
“This prestigious award by the British Safety Council, is an international recognition of the successful approach and environmental strategies and policies adopted by DEWA. We work to achieve our vision to become a sustainable innovative world class utility. This is the result of following the highest standards related to quality, health, safety, and the environment as part of the integrated administrative systems to establish the foundations of occupational health, safety, and environmental sustainability among staff and customers at DEWA,” said Al Tayer.
DEWA’s continuous efforts to achieve its strategic sustainability goals have played an important role in its receipt of the Five Star Environmental Audit from the British Safety Council for five consecutive years from 2011 to 2016. DEWA was the first utility in the GCC to receive this international recognition. The excellent performance led to receiving the Globe of Honour in environment, for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa as one of seven countries. DEWA achieved the full mark for four consecutive years from 2012 to 2016.
To compete for the Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour, an organisation goes through a special audit programme in health, safety, and the environment. The nominated organisation has to demonstrate to an independent panel of experts that it is excellent in its health and safety, and environmental management throughout the business, and has to achieve the maximum five stars in the British Safety Council’s audit scheme.