The Middle East construction safety market is experiencing double-digit growth, due to a phenomenal number of large projects coupled with increasing awareness of safety standards and products, according to an industry expert.

'We estimate the Middle East personal protection equipment (PPE) market, valued at approximately $300 million, to be growing at 20 per cent per annum, in comparison to 3 per cent per annum growth of the safety business globally,' said Sperian Protection Middle East Branch sales director Hubert Veluire.

'Growth in the Middle East is much higher than the rest of the world.'

Sperian Protection, will be using the upcoming Big 5 PMV as a platform to take advantage of the construction safety boom and promote its head, body and fall protection equipment.

Big 5 PMV, the premier construction event dedicated to plant, machinery and vehicles, will run from November 23 to 27 in Dubai.

'Over the last three years, we’ve achieved an average annual growth of 30 per cent in the Middle East, but we plan to triple our sales in the next three years.

'The market is growing rapidly because there is an increasing demand for higher quality, standardised products as well as more and more construction workers to protect due to the scale of the projects here,' Veluire added.

Sperian will be one of the many safety companies taking part at the Big 5 PMV this year, as international businesses flock to the event to meet the increasing demand of property developers, contractors and other key buyers.

Tacklestore, a UK based company, will be offering height safety equipment, such as fall protection harnesses, and French SK Group will be displaying its anti-collision software for cranes.

Reinforcing the importance of construction safety, the event which will run alongside the Big 5 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, has announced its full support of Build Safe Dubai, a not for profit organisation dedicated to promoting best safety practices within the construction industry.

'It is reassuring to see the safety industry growing here in the Middle East, in correlation with the construction boom,' said Big 5 organiser Streamline Marketing’s Nick Webb.

 'The Big 5 PMV provides an ideal forum to raise awareness of construction safety and the latest products available, and we are proud to support Build Safe Dubai,' Webb added-TradeArabia News Service