Posted By Kate Gibb Andrew, Sorry I have no experience of H&S enforcement in Qatar, however you could try contacting the British mbassy in Qatar, who should be able to tell you more. See http://ukinqatar.fco.gov.uk/en/ Hope this helps Kate

Posted By Andrew J Thank you Kate and Paul for your responses. I am actually working in the UAE and it happens here. I would not work for a contractor in any fo the middle eastern countries because of this. I have met a few safety officers / managers that have been arrested and had their passports taken. Regards Andrew

Posted By Robert K Lewis Ithink the statement is "you as a foreigner are clearly most likely to be at fault and you must not leave until we are satisfied you were not" Hard lesson learned by many Bob

Posted By martinw Bit harsh there Swis some cases have been thrown out recently by Court of Appeal judges who did not agree with the HSE view that if a death occurred of someone at work then that is prima facie evidence of a breakdown of safety. What of the unpredictability of people? What of injuries sustained during horseplay? Is the health and safety manager really responsible for all undesired events if people behave unpredictably and ignore training and safety regulations? If something should have been put in place by the health and safety manager and was not done, then OK, at fault through negligence. Otherwise, if all safety stuff is 'in place' and is proportionate to the risk, and for whatever reason is bypassed or ignored, then maybe the H&S manager could be accountable, but hardly always responsible. MD is responsible, ultimately.

Posted By Andrew J Swis, I was asking if the regulatory systems are similar, and in the second posting "informing" that I would not work for a contractor in any of middle eastern countries. Of course as the safety manager / officer you have a duty of care and responsibility to ensure all appropriate measures are in place, but unfortunately here in the gulf region, just like other jurisdictions, you may not always have the the actual power and authority to ensure that they are always complied with. Being arrested, locked up and having your passport taken for months if not years why the local police decide if the foreign safety officer is responsible or the local owner / managing director is to blame is not the best way to improve safety practices in the region. I also work in consulting but in the UAE - my company also has operations in Qatar and before I get involved in those operations in them I want to be well informed of the possible implications. Andrew