Dubai Customs recently concluded at Customs main building a number of internal training and workshops for its employees facilitated by prominent experts and specialists with the aim of identifying Risk Management and raising awareness about its importance as a businesses methodology contributing to achieve the organizational objectives and keeping pace with the government strategy; mainly improving the local economic.
Dubai Customs held Sunday 1st February 2009 a ceremony for honoring participants who were given out certificates of participation and incited to make more effort to improve job performance.
The program for November and December included 10 training courses and 2 workshops attended by almost 280 employees from different customs divisions and departments.
The aim of RM workshops and training, which are annually organized by Dubai Customs, is to develop employees` administrative intuition, create a responsive work environment to any contingency that influences achieving the organizational strategy in light of the government interest in developing manpower and enhance opportunities for utilizing available resources to either a government or private entity.
Dubai Customs was the first government organization to establish a dedicated section for Risk Management and adopt latest international practices and standards.
RM process identifies the expected or unexpected risk that may have negative effect on achieving objectives. The risk level is then measured with providing proper solutions in collaboration with the respective departments.
Mr. Yousef Bani Hashim, the Senior Manager of Audit and Risk Management department at Dubai Customs said that, “Dubai Customs continues to conduct more RM training and the current year would be experiencing the move to the next phase of communicating RM knowledge to all customs staff who would be able after such training to deal with risks by themselves and we would be acting as consultants to be referred to whenever needed. The first step towards effective RM would be by asking different divisions and departments to nominate a representative who would be well qualified to act as an interface between RM department and his respective division and / or department. It is the best way of communicating knowledge. Dealing with RM department does not mean man is in danger but it is the interaction with the surrounding conditions and the possibility to convert the crisis or risk into a real opportunity to be seized”.
RM methodology covers a number of consecutive steps including determining a business framework in light of the organizational strategic objectives and vision, identifying risks based on former business experiences or future expectations, assessing level of potential risks and their negative effects, providing appropriate solutions, setting up either internal or in collaboration with external stakeholders a business implementation plan with consistent follow-up and finally, the progress of such plan phases and considering viability and efficiency of solutions in place to encounter the risk.
From his part, Mr. Mohammed Rashid Al Mazrouie the Senior Manager of Risk Management Section at Dubai Customs said, “Risk Management is a continuous methodology throughout the year where consecutive and integrated steps supporting better decision making are followed. There is a need for Risk Management prior to carrying out any new business or project or even taking whatsoever a simple decision. Phases of Risk Management require a constant review in collaboration with internal and external permanent stakeholders”.
Worth mentioning, Dubai Customs is the first government agency in the Arab world to earn ISO (18001 OHSAS) Certification for employees health and safety risks management; the most important RM application.
