Riyadh, Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labor and Vice President of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Abu Thanin attended Tuesday evening the closing ceremony of the Occupational Safety and Health Hackathon, held at Umm Al-Qura University, in Makkah.
Over 600 participants and some 2,120 attendees took part in the three-day event, organized by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, and Umm Al-Qura University.
The event attracted a diverse audience, including occupational safety and health professionals, students, innovators, and people interested in workplace safety advancements.
Abu Thanin highlighted the council’s partnerships, which contribute to the advancement of workplace safety regulations in the Kingdom.
“This occasion marks the culmination of fruitful cooperation between the national council and Umm Al-Qura University in establishing a research and innovation center to elevate safety and health standards in
the Saudi labor market,” Abu Thanin said.
He further said that the center will foster “a stimulating environment” for researchers and innovators to develop new and effective solutions for enhanced occupational safety and health in the workplace”, and underscored the importance of safe work environments, which greatly contribute to better employee performance and living conditions.
Umm Al-Qura University President Prof. Muadi bin Muhammad Al Madhab emphasized the university’s commitment to fostering robust scientific research and innovation by means of programs that support entrepreneurship and empower researchers, students, specialists, and innovators.
The programs aim to translate innovative ideas into groundbreaking projects that contribute to the knowledge economy and align with the evolving needs of the local and global job markets, as well as with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 pertaining to preparing Saudi youths for the workforce through strategic partnerships and consulting the government, private,
and non-profit sectors.
Abu Thanin also announced the launch of five research grants, totaling SAR200,000, offered by the Center for Research and Innovation in Occupational Safety and Health, which will support research in the field.
He highlighted several positive outcomes resulting from the council’s collaborative efforts with different other parties. These include a 30.7% reduction in workplace injury rates over the past six years, an increase in the occupational safety and health workforce to 23,971 specialists, the creation of over 11,171 new jobs in the field, the ambitious goal of having 45,800 occupational safety and health specialists by 2025, and the launch of 16 training programs to raise awareness about occupational safety and health issues.
The hackathon focused on applying cutting-edge technologies to address occupational safety and health challenges, like educational technology, augmented and virtual reality, logistics and supply chain management, property management systems, transportation
technology, healthcare technology, the Internet of Things, and AI.
Forty teams comprising students, innovators, and researchers participated in the hackathon which also featured a competition in the field of occupational safety. The winning teams were “Nabh”, “ParaVest”, “Thod”, and “FMA”.
The hackathon also consisted of workshops, panel discussions, and dialogue sessions.
It is a groundbreaking event launched by the Center for Research and Innovation in Occupational Safety and Health.
It was first held in 2022, during the 5th Saudi International Conference on Occupational Safety and Health, when it was inaugurated by Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and President of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi.
The event reflects the council’s commitment to fostering sustainable solutions to occupational health and safety by empowering qualified leaders and fostering technical innovation to enhance workplace appeal across all sectors.
Sourc
e: Saudi Press Agency