Construction of Dubai DEWA’s Jebel Ali SWRO desalination plant clocks three million man-hours without injuries

DEWA´s Jebel Ali desalination plant in JAPS, Dubai, is celebrating three million man-hours without Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) as construction passes the 70% completion mark. This achievement reflects the shared commitment of DEWA, engineering firm ILF and the construction consortium formed by ACCIONA and BESIX, to risk prevention and Health & Safety measures for all workers on the project.

This milestone has been attained while strictly observing all the international and local protocols put in place to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic.

ACCIONA and BESIX are the EPC contractors for the Jebel Ali Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant, which will produce 183,000 cubic meters of potable water per day. It will serve a population of 500,000 inhabitants, making it one of the largest desalination plants in the Emirates. Jebel Ali SWRO desalination plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

The zero Lost Time Injuries record is the result of good teamwork by the client, the engineers and the construction consortium. Several Health & Safety measures are in place, including specific training for employees involved in activities that carry a relative risk such as work at height, safe driving and working in confined spaces. Other initiatives reinforced Health & Safety management, including the introduction of dangerous situations reports, inspections and audits, and the correct storage of chemical products.

The preventive measures at the construction site include regular coordination meetings with the subcontractors, weekly visits to analyze the state of work, and a training schedule during construction. All these initiatives have allowed the early detection of potential risky situations, and have prevented occupational accidents from happening.

“Reaching three million man-hours without LTI is an important milestone for this huge project, and it has been achieved thanks to the cooperation of all the companies involved and their awareness for health and safety procedures in the work place”, stated Project Director Javier Nieto, from ACCIONA.

Jesús Sancho, ACCIONA Middle East Managing Director, said: “This achievement proves how important and ambitious goals can be accomplished without compromising the health and safety of all our employees and all the people involved in the construction. It is an essential milestone and we are very proud of it, as it demonstrates our commitment to respect the goals of our client and local authorities”.

Total desalinated water production in the Middle East will be 13 times higher in 2040 than it was in 2014, according to the latest ACCIONA Sustainability Report. In a region with acute water scarcity, demand for desalinated water is being driven by climate change and population growth. The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims to reduce Dubai’s carbon footprint to one of the smallest in the world by 2050, which will require an increasingly efficient desalination water production process.

ACCIONA desalinates water using the most efficient reverse osmosis technology. The use of this technology emits 6.5 times fewer greenhouse gases than thermal desalination technologies.