On 11 June, Arcadis’ leaders, Andrew Macpherson, Executive Director of Project and Program Management and Wei Li Chung, EHS Manager for Arcadis in Hong Kong and Macau, will present at a RICS Hong Kong event to discuss the importance of effective Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and how if adopted correctly, it can help save lives and money.
The professional development event will see Andrew and Wei Li, who have over 40 years’ experience between them, cover global best practise around EHS and the missed opportunities for businesses across Asia who do not have a strong EHS road map, implementation strategy and method of continuous improvement.
In the construction industry, EHS is not always taken as seriously as it should be, which is extremely hazardous particularly given the level of risk people are exposed to on a daily basis. Whether its poor protective equipment, lack of training or a general disregard for well-being, employees, contractors and project owners far too often do not give enough consideration to the importance of safety in their projects.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 2.3 million employees around the world succumb to work-related accidents or diseases every year, with the least protected, poorest and least trained being the most affected. While human tragedy sits behind every accident, these events also have a significant economic impact, with the ILO estimating the annual cost to the global economy from accidents and work-related diseases alone being more than US$3 trillion.
Commenting on the event, Andrew said: “There is great opportunity within the successful adoption of EHS to not only safeguard employee well-being, but also create value for business operations. Knowledge sharing platforms like this allow other professionals in the industry to see examples of how material benefits that can be achieved by showcasing what we have delivered on some of our iconic projects in Hong Kong.
Drawing on his experience in Hong Kong, Wei Li outlined specific guidance that has been developed to ensure safe and successful project delivery: “At Arcadis we have six fundamental principles that shape and guide our EHS delivery. It has all been developed to empower our people to succeed. Only by creating ownership and responsibility will our people embrace safe ways of working. Key principles include ‘exercise stop work authority and ‘practise if not me, then who’, and I look forward to sharing how this can be easily adopted in other scenarios.
If you would like to know more about the event, then you can register by clicking here.
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About Arcadis
Arcadis is the leading global Design & Consultancy for natural and built assets. Applying our deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services we work in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of their natural and built assets. We are 27,000 people, active in over 70 countries that generate €3.3 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. www.arcadis.com