Bridgestone Middle East and Africa (MEA) and its distributor for Dubai and the Northern Emirates Nasser bin Abdullatif Alserkal Est. have teamed up with Emirates Transport (ET) to sponsor and promote its annual occupational health safety initiative.
Together, the global tyre maker and its distributor are sponsoring a month’s worth of activities at Emirate Transport, including training and the provision of the technical hardware, with the aim of helping keep the 20,000-strong fleet of vehicles serviced by ET in peak condition.
Taking place throughout March, the initiative aligns with the 6th Emirates Transport Month of Occupational Health and Safety inaugurated by the firm’s GM, Mohammed Abdullah Al Jarman.
Mete Ekin, regional MD for Bridgestone MEA, explained: “Emirates Transport has taken a strong lead in promoting occupational health and safety among its workforce and this culture very much fits with both Bridgestone’s and Alserkal’s ‘safety first’ ethos so it makes perfect sense for us to play a role in what is an extremely worthwhile and valuable initiative.”
These sentiments were echoed by said Ahmad Bin Eisa Alserkal, vice chairman of Nasser Bin Abdullatif Alserkal Est., who noted: “As the sole Bridgestone distributor for Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Alserkal has forged a strong relationship with ET over the years.
“We are an enthusiastic partner when it comes to promoting the safe handling and correct maintenance of the products we supply, and the more that ET technicians know our products and understand how to handle them correctly, the better for all concerned.”
Already this month ET has conducted fleet manager training, a tyre safety awareness campaign for ET staff and technicians, and the tyre checking of the vehicles belonging to ET staff – to reinforce the idea that safety is important both at and away from work.
Khalid Shukur, HSE manager at ET, reported: “We have been very impressed with Bridgestone Tyres and Nasser bin Abdullatif Alserkal’s enthusiasm and willingness to participate in our annual Month of Occupational Health & Safety through this generous sponsorship.”
“Creating and enforcing the regulations around tyres and their fitting and maintenance on our fleet are critical elements of what we do here at ET, and it’s gratifying to know that Bridgestone MEA and Nasser bin Abdullatif Alserkal share our vision when it comes to promoting occupational health and safety.”
In October 2016, the Michelin Summer Safety Campaign carried out by Central Motors & Equipment (CM&E), a subsidiary of the Al Fahim Group, secured the award for the ‘Best Public Awareness Campaign at the 5th edition of Qatar Transport Safety Forum in Doha.
In a related tyre safety issue, a company called SafetyTrim is working to introduce a device that helps secure wheel nuts and visually indicate when wheel nuts are loose – addressing a critical safety issue for the less organised side of commercial vehicle fleet pperations in the Gulf.
