DuPont Middle East seminar instills culture of workplace safety among Heriot-Watt University Dubai students

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Dubai - MENA Herald: DuPont Protection Solutions recently conducted a seminar for students of Heriot-Watt University Dubai to instill a culture of workplace safety among the impressionable youths at the Civil Defence Training Center in Dubai Academic City. The activity was especially prepared to educate students on the safety procedures observed in oil, gas, mechanical, chemical and petrochemical operations.
The training seminar discussed established safety procedures and demonstrated the effectiveness and importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Karim Dirani, Marketing Communications Specialist at DuPont Protection Solutions, and Youssef Andraws and Said Al-Harthy, the engineers who demonstrated the technicalities of PPEs and DuPont’s Thermo-Man® – one of the most advanced life-size thermal burn injury evaluation devices in the world – tackled relevant issues and shared key insights into workplace safety procedures and regulations.
A highlight of the seminar was the live demonstration of the capabilities of the life-sized DuPont Thermo-Man® mannequin system. The unit is fitted with 122 thermal sensors which can measure body surface temperature and predict body burn injuries in heat levels of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. It has been used by companies across various industries all over the world – including oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, electricity, and fire-fighting services – since the 1970s to test flame-resistant clothing and study burn injuries. The mannequin measures the fire protective performance of various garments and clothing systems – including materials reinforced with DuPont’s revolutionary Nomex® lightweight heat- and flame-resistant fibers – under realistic flash-fire conditions.
Dirani said: “It is never too early to foster a culture of fire safety and protection in the workplace and beyond. DuPont will continue to advocate greater awareness among youths who could one day prevent damages and save lives through their knowledge of fire hazards and related protective equipment, techniques and technologies. We were very impressed by the curiosity and energy of Heriot-Watt University Dubai’s students who show a genuine interest in the importance of workplace safety and the impact of its proper practice on major industries such as oil and gas and chemicals. It was an excellent opportunity to share DuPont’s work on making industries safer through cutting-edge research and innovative protective measures and encourage future members of the workforce to adopt a safety-first mindset.”
Dr Mehdi Nazarinia, Programme Coordinator Mechanical Engineering and IMechE Academic Liason Officer at Heriot Watt University-Dubai Campus said: “The level of research done on protective clothing is impressive. Some of us will be working in hazardous conditions once we graduate, and it is reassuring to know that safety is taken this seriously. DuPont has invested lot of knowhow and resources into these products and we're very grateful for them giving us insight into what goes on with research, development and testing procedures.”
The educational initiative was conducted in line with DuPont’s goal of positively contributing to the betterment of the community by raising awareness on key issues being addressed by the company among university students across the UAE. DuPont takes safety and protection seriously, collaborating closely with governments, industrial manufacturers, and academics on the development and testing of a wide range of safety materials and technologies. The company is the developer of the DuPont™ Kevlar® aramid fiber for ballistic and cut protection, the nonwoven DuPont™ Tyvek® fiber for general industrial protection, DuPont™ Tychem® protective clothing for industrial chemical protection , and the DuPont™ Nomex® flame resistant fiber.

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