Red Sea Global Opens its First Health and Safety Training Academy

This is Red Sea Global's first Health and Safety Training Academy - SPA
This is Red Sea Global's first Health and Safety Training Academy - SPA
TT

Red Sea Global Opens its First Health and Safety Training Academy

This is Red Sea Global's first Health and Safety Training Academy - SPA
This is Red Sea Global's first Health and Safety Training Academy - SPA

The Red Sea Global (RSG) has announced the opening of its first Health and Safety Training Academy in Saudi Arabia, following a pilot phase during which 1,000 workers were trained.
The academy offers free training for RSG's workforce, partners, and contractors, supporting the development of essential construction skills and safety capabilities. RSG's comprehensive training portfolio adheres to the highest international safety standards, including being certified by international organizations such as Highfield, IOSH, and NEBOSH, it said in a statement. 
Group Head of Health and Safety at RSG John Dunne stated that "by ensuring exemplary safety protocols across all RSG's developments, the academy aims to become the benchmark institution for health and safety training for Saudi Arabia and beyond."
"Our recent IOSH accreditation marks a significant milestone in RSG's commitment to safety excellence. As an approved partner and licensed provider of the IOSH Working Safely course in English and Hindi, we are equipping our workforce and partners with vital safety skills. This partnership with IOSH reflects our dedication to fostering a safe and inclusive work environment across all our projects," he added.
A unique aspect of the academy is its practical, construction-themed training, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. The curriculum includes vivid simulations to demonstrate the real consequences of safety violations, making it the first in the Kingdom to emphasize practical and visual learning over traditional classroom-based instruction. Equipped with modern indoor classrooms, outdoor training stations, and specialized safety areas, the facility enables trainees to build critical safety competencies through a mix of theoretical and comprehensive hands-on training. Practical equipment such as Scaffolding, Walking Work Platforms, Gantry Cranes, Confined Space chambers, and CPR training facilities enable trainees to develop critical safety skills, fostering a robust culture of safety.
"By ensuring exemplary safety protocols across all RSG's developments, the academy aims to become the benchmark institution for health and safety training for Saudi Arabia," the statement emphasized.
Furthermore, RSG has achieved another significant milestone by obtaining an official license to deliver IOSH Working Safety Training in both English and Hindi. This course focuses on mitigating hazards effectively, giving workers an understanding of why they must work safely. Following IOSH's thorough review of RSG's safety standards and facilities, RSG received authorization to deliver this training. This capability significantly elevates the developer's training standards, as it can now conduct these sessions in-house rather than relying on third-party providers.
The statement highlighted that last year, RSG hit remarkable milestones in health and safety. These included reaching 10 million hours worked without a Lost Time Injury (LTI) on Shura Island, set to open this year, and achieving 11 million hours worked without an LTI on Shebara Resort, which commenced operations in October 2024.



‘Less Snow’: Warm January Weather Breaks Records in Moscow

A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
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‘Less Snow’: Warm January Weather Breaks Records in Moscow

A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)

January 2025 is on track to be one of the warmest in Moscow on record, meteorologists reported on Wednesday, with two of the past days breaking all-time daily temperature highs.

Thermometer readings on Wednesday have not dipped below an "April-like" 3.8 degrees Celsius (38.8 Fahrenheit), much higher than the historical average below freezing, according to Russia's Phobos weather center.

Residents in the capital told AFP there was less snow for children to play with, and that there was "mud everywhere", making dog walks more challenging.

Experts warn more temperature records will be broken in the future as human-driven climate change disrupts global weather patterns.

"Of course, we don't like winter like this... Everything should be in moderation," 68-year-old pensioner Galina Kazakova told AFP in central Moscow.

"It is very bad for nature, because the snow should lie on the fields, so that it melts, so that everything grows well," she added.

Monday and Tuesday were the warmest of those dates since records started, while Wednesday is also set to beat its historical high, Russia's RBK news outlet reported, citing meteorologists.

"January, which is approaching a heat record, continues to surprise," meteorologist Mikhail Leus said on Telegram, posting a video of chanterelle mushrooms poking through patches of snow in the forest.

Central Russia's state meteorological service said Moscow was on track for its "second warmest January" since records began, beaten only by January 2020.

Russian state media reported January 2025 could be warmer than even that year.

Climatologist Alexey Karnaukhov was uncertain about whether this January would be the warmest.

"It's hard to say whether there will be a record. In 2020, there was no stable snow cover in Russia's midland either, and this year is not unique," Karnaukhov told AFP.

"We live in an era of global warming, warm years will become more and more frequent. Even if the current values turn out to be a record, it will definitely not be the last," he told AFP.

On the streets of the capital, residents expressed both joy and concern at the unseasonably warm weather.

"I like it all. It is very pleasant to walk," said 19-year-old student Olga Medvedeva.

"I like winter better the way it was," said Elena Aleksandrova, 73.

"We take the dog for walks, he likes to play in the snow too. Now where can you walk? There is mud everywhere."