Height Aware In The UAE

In 2014, we were making waves in the United Arab Emirates with the launch of HAAD’s Height Aware programme, a multi-media campaign developed exclusively for the prevention of falls from heights in the workplace.

After being awarded a tender from the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) in the UAE, we used our unique communication strategy to develop materials for communicating the topic of working at heights.

“We have been working in the UAE for a number of years now and have built up a lot of experience in communicating these issues to this wide range audience,” says Andrew Smith, CEO of Jincom.

Our team has more than sixteen years of experience working with multinational clients such as Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Xtrata and NGOs and Governments. This particular programme was rolled out to all industries where employees need to work at height.

The launch of the Height Aware initiative was highly anticipated in the United Arab Emirates, where falls from height had become a major occupational hazard across industries. Having recognised that images and animation serve as the most effective means of communication, the major elements of the campaign include a procedure manual aimed at both worker and supervisor, instructional pamphlets, animations and posters, all detailing the dangers of and preventative measures to take when working at height.

Part of the target audience for the Height Aware programme is migrant workers, so the educational and instructional materials were developed in multiple languages including English, Arabic, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi and Malayalam. Considering the huge language barrier, achieving this was no trivial matter, and required extensive research on the ground. Researching, scripting, illustrating and adapting the materials to the different languages within the correct context demanded great attention to detail.

Prior to the HAAD Height Aware campaign’s roll out, the materials were assessed in pilot groups to ensure maximum effectiveness in creating awareness and behaviour change in the target audience. Our team organised focus group testing of the materials with both workers and supervisors at a construction site in Abu Dhabi.

Our client servers ensured the client’s brief was carried across to the creative team accurately and that the best possible quality product was delivered. We made sure that the final product reflected the correct messages and engaged with its audience. The materials we developed serve as a vital tool for promoting and implementing behavioural changes in the workplace that mitigate dangerous conditions.