By Kikomeko Pius
On August 21, 2025, a delegation from the Occupational Safety, Health, and Environment (OSHE) improvement project visited Roofings Rolling Mills’ facility in Namanve Industrial Park. The visit represented the project’s fourth major engagement with industry stakeholders, continuing its goal to foster a world-class safety culture within Uganda’s engineering and industrial sectors.
This OSHE initiative is a collaboration among Makerere University, Busitema University, and Kyambogo University, with support from the Royal Academy of Engineering in the United Kingdom. It aims to establish Centres of Excellence at each university, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and practical industry application of Occupational Safety, Health and Environment(OSHE) standards.
The Makerere University team, led by Dr. Abubaker Matovu Waswa, Head of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the College of Engineering, Design, Art, and Technology (CEDAT) and Principal Investigator of the project, received a warm welcome from a senior delegation of Roofings Rolling Mills. The reception involved key engineers from the Health and Safety Department, along with Human Resources and Production Managers, highlighting the company’s strong commitment to collaborative innovation and industrial partnership.
The engagement started with an insightful overview of the Roofings Group’s principles. Through a compelling video narrated by the Roofings Group CEO, Dr. Sikander Lalani, the OSHE team learned about the company’s history, its wide range of construction products, and its strong commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Initiatives like the “Forever Forest” project, building community schools, and offering free oxygen refills to public hospitals showcased a corporate philosophy that goes far beyond the factory gates.
Demonstrating their systematic approach to safety, the Roofings team conducted a detailed visitor’s induction, a mandatory step for all visitors, trainers, and contractors. This comprehensive briefing covered areas that included;
- IMS System Standards: The international standards they comply with.
- 10 Life-Saving Rules: A set of non-negotiable safety principles for all personnel.
- Visitor Guidelines: Clear rules on access control, the use of designated walkways, a strict speed limit of 10 km/hr, and mandatory reverse parking to ensure swift and safe evacuation in an emergency.
Roofings further showcased their robust on-site health infrastructure, which includes trained first aiders in every plant, a fully equipped ambulance on standby, and an on-site clinic for immediate medical attention. They also emphasized their proactive safety culture, which encourages all workers to report potential hazards without hesitation, complemented by regular internal safety audits.
Dr. Abubaker Matovu Waswa addressed the meeting by reaffirming the project’s guiding principle, that engineering, as the heart of innovation and construction, must also serve as the benchmark for health and safety. He emphasized that the ultimate objective was to reduce workplace accidents and foster a culture of safety, not only within industrial environments but also in the communities where workers live and interact. Dr. Waswa highlighted the urgent need for the initiative, noting that it fills a longstanding gap in Occupational Safety, Health, and Environment (OSHE) awareness among engineering graduates entering the workforce. He commended the Roofings Rolling Mills team, praising their existing systems as being impressively aligned with industry best practices.
Building on this collaborative spirit, the OSHE project team offered several recommendations to further enhance Roofing’s exemplary safety framework:
- Reward Policy: Implementing a formal policy to recognize and reward workers who consistently champion OSHE standards.
- Professional Certification: Supplementing internal training by professionally certifying employees in OSHE disciplines.
- Training Evaluation: Introducing a system for the safety department to evaluate the effectiveness and knowledge retention of their health and safety training programs.
- Safety in Leadership: Integrating safety performance as a key metric for promotion to managerial positions.
- Legal Team Literacy: Provide comprehensive OSHE training to the legal team to ensure they have a firsthand understanding of safety regulations and their practical implications.
The Roofings team expressed their gratitude for the recommendations, acknowledging their potential to add significant value to their operations. The visit concluded with a comprehensive tour of the various plants at Roofings Rolling Mills, during which the OSHE project team conducted a brief safety audit. This engagement stands as a testament to the power of university-industry collaboration in building a safer, healthier, and more productive Uganda.
