"I always try to impart all my knowledge and experience to my team and encourage and motivate them to perform to their maximum potential, in whatever work they do, to grow and become either more proficient at what they do or climb the ladder of success to better positions. I also try to share the big picture with all of them as often as possible so that they know the direction we are going in and how vital each person’s part in the team is to achieve the larger objectives of the ECC Group.
Lastly, you need to acknowledge good work and good performance. All people need to hear “thank you, well done” from their supervisor and be rewarded for the extra effort they put in to get the job done, but you also need to hold everyone accountable for what they are responsible for. Sometimes you will have to tell people to “pull up your socks and get the work done.”

1. As Health and Safety manager of ECC, can you share your leadership style?
"I always try to impart all my knowledge and experience to my team and encourage and motivate them to perform to their maximum potential, in whatever work they do, to grow and become either more proficient at what they do or climb the ladder of success to better positions. I also try to share the big picture with all of them as often as possible so that they know the direction we are going in and how vital each person’s part in the team is to achieve the larger objectives of the ECC Group. Lastly, you need to acknowledge good work and good performance. All people need to hear “thank you, well done” from their supervisor and be rewarded for the extra effort they put in to get the job done, but you also need to hold everyone accountable for what they are responsible for. Sometimes you will have to tell people to “pull up your socks and get the work done.”

2. How do you educate employees especially on-site personnel/staffs regarding safety procedures and how do you ensure their safety?
"We have a couple of tools at our disposal, from Inductions, HSE Awareness Training Modules, Method Statement & Risk Assessment Briefings, Daily Pre-start Briefings, Toolbox Talks and Safety Alert Bulletins. We are also almost ready to launch an online learning course, specifically aimed at our construction supervision, like engineers and construction managers, on the Dubai Code of Construction Safety Practice.
We try to ensure people’s safety, by various measures, but in principle, there are 4 pillars to modern management of HSE, which are:
Plan – ensure works are planned in advance, people are properly briefed about the tasks, hazards, risks and control measures, qualified and experienced to do the works
Do – Verify that the works are being performed inline with the Plan that was set to ensure it
Check – Monitor continuously that the works and work environment is in compliance with the standards and requirements that were set
Act – Take action whenever there is a deviation from the Plan, or the set standards and requirements, so that compliance can be achieved for the benefit and safety of all involved."
"Sustainability is here to stay, so we all have to get on board with working and living moresustainably.
Any company, especially in the UAE, needs to reduce their spending on and consumption ofnatural resources, like water, electricity, and fuel. These are finite resources which means maximum effort must be taken to conserve them and find more renewable ways of doing business.

The same goes for waste generation and reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill. Central to this challenge is the need to maximize the recycling of recyclable materials.
There is a serious drive and intention from the UAE Government to get companies to think Green and become more sustainable. We foresee stringent regulations being introduced within the next 12 to 18 months, which everyone will have to comply with.
Therefore no company in the UAE, at least, can afford not to put effort into becoming more sustainable, not only for the environment, but for the company to remain competitive in this
market."

3. What is the Key Element on having a sustainable business?
"Sustainability is here to stay, so we all have to get on board with working and living more sustainably.
Any company, especially in the UAE, needs to reduce their spending on and consumption of natural resources, like water, electricity, and fuel. These are finite resources which mean maximum effort must be taken to conserve them and find more renewable ways of doing business.
The same goes for waste generation and reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill. Central to this challenge is the need to maximize the recycling of recyclable materials.
There is a serious drive and intention from the UAE Government to get companies to think Green and become more sustainable. We foresee stringent regulations being introduced within the next 12 to 18 months, which everyone will have to comply with.
Therefore no company in the UAE, at least, can afford not to put effort into becoming more sustainable, not only for the environment, but for the company to remain competitive in this market."

4. In the long run, what is your plan for ECC in terms of venturing into sustainability?
1- Reduce sweet water consumption – we have already made good progress with aerated taps, reduced flow shatafs and reducing the volume of cisterns, at offices in the Group and on
construction sites.
2- Point 1 will automatically help us reduce wastewater. However, with some plumbing modifications, we want to maximize the amount of wastewater we can recycle into grey water,
which is reusable for some of our requirements.
3- Reduce electrical consumption – we have made good progress with LED lights, lighting timers and Air-conditioner controls so far. The next big thing will be solar power installations,
for which proposals to the board are ready for review. You might even see the first installation be installed at ECC head office, as early as January 2023.
4- Maximize recycling – We have done many trials and have finally found a partner who can help us with our recyclable materials, on an incentivized basis for anyone who participates. We will introduce this to our labour camps first, then the offices and projects and then to the employees. Soon, you will be able to get rewarded for your recyclables.
5- Fuel reduction – The Plant Department are already looking into hybrid vehicles, which have to potential to drastically reduce our dependency on diesel and petrol.
"As we are still in the early stages of our Sustainability program, we are focusing on the following for the short to medium term:

For the long term, you will have to ask me in 2 years’ time again, after we have achieved the short-term objectives but I foresee us going completely paperless, automating more of our laborious construction activities, using more re-usable construction materials and even incorporating more remote working."