SAMER AKL, Sr. Environmental Research Engineer

SAMER AKL

Sr. Environmental Research Engineer

RTI International

Location
United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
Education
Master's degree, Environmental Management
Experience
14 years, 4 Months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :14 years, 4 Months

Sr. Environmental Research Engineer at RTI International
  • United Arab Emirates
  • October 2010 to September 2014

Since Oct '10: RTI International - Abu Dhabi
Sr. Environmental Research Engineer
Accountabilities: • Leading a Risk Team to conduct hazard evaluations for different industries and industrial sectors.
• Leading HazMat Team to conduct periodic inspection visits to permit factories and facilities; ensuring adherence with country environmental protection regulations.
• Conducting site investigations and evaluating best management practices for different types of industrial wastes and pollutant control.
• Responding to environmental emergencies and complaints to provide technical advice to first responders.
• Training and mentoring of the new environmental inspectors on compliance and enforcement inspections, hazard evaluations, industrial processes, etc.


• Played an active role in the core team involved in designing software for the Risk Characterization & Hazard Evaluation System, RiCHES, for industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi.
• Played an active role in the core team involved in designing software for the On-Site Compliance & Inspection System, OACIS, for industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi.
• Conducted a status evaluation of the life cycle of medical waste treatment facilities in Abu Dhabi Emirate.
• Led a team for preparing a Sector Report on chemical storage and blending sector in the Emirate.
• Led a team for preparing a Sector Report on hot mix asphalt manufacturing sector in the Emirate.
• Led a team for preparing a sector report on fiberglass industrial sector in the Emirate.
• Participated in a various teams team for preparing Sector Reports on different industrial sectors in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (plastic Industries, iron and steel industries, power plants, galvanizing and electroplating, fertilizers manufacturing, wastewater treatment plants, etc.)
• Led a team for preparing hazard evaluation for ready mix manufacturing facilities and Waste Water treatment plants in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
• Conducted hazard evaluations to a wide range of industries such as: ready mix, plastics, iron and steel, porcelain, aluminium smelting, HazMat stores, chemical manufacturing, paper manufacturing, hot mix asphalts, wastewater treatment plants, etc.
• Conducted environmental and safety awareness training to many industrial facilities.

Environmental Officer - Environmental Management Sector at Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
  • United Arab Emirates
  • October 2002 to October 2010

Oct '02 - OCT 2010: Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, EAD
Environmental Officer - Environmental Management Sector
Accountabilities: • Conducting periodic inspection visits to permitted factories and facilities; ensuring adherence with country environmental protection regulations.
• Developing system for environmental inspections and monitoring of Abu Dhabi Emirate industrial facilities.
• Collecting data on chemicals and classifying hazard classes as per UN regulations.
• Conducting site investigations and evaluating best management practices for different types of emissions, industrial wastes and pollutants control.
• Setting criteria for trading in the chemical & HazMat, pesticides, radioactive sources.
• Participated in framing criteria for evaluation of tenders of software for management of chemicals and hazardous materials for the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
• Assisting in preparation of environmental awareness program pertinent to section activities to Public, Contractors and industrial facilities.
• Participating in formulation of code of practice for trading in chemicals and HazMat.



• Played an active role in the core team involved in drafting a law for hazardous materials management and a guideline for the management of hazardous materials for Abu Dhabi Emirate.
• Played an active role in the core team involved in drafting a List of Environmental Violations and Citations for Hazardous Materials Management for Abu Dhabi Emirate.
• Played an active role in assessment of the available procedures implemented by Abu Dhabi Customs to control the import of Hazardous Materials to the emirate of Abu.
• Played an active role in creating and implementing standard operating procedures to control the import of hazardous materials to the emirate of Abu Dhabi (all border entry points), and establishing permanent offices at the border check points to inspect HazMat prior to entering the emirate.
• Trained the Customs personnel on the procedures of imported cargo inspections, hazard identification, and release operations of imported HazMat shipments.
• Implemented the procedure of proper identifying and labelling of HazMat as per the international norms.
• Led a major survey to all HazMat storage facilities in Abu Dhabi in which all the HSE violations have been identified. Action plans were set and rectification measures have been implemented.

Environmental & Safety Engineer at Al Ghaith Oilfields Supply & Services
  • United Arab Emirates
  • June 2001 to October 2002

Jun '01 - Oct '02: Al Ghaith Oilfields Supply & Services, Agoss, Abu Dhabi
Environmental & Safety Engineer (Sales Dept.)
Accountabilities: • Marketing environmental and safety products and preparing tenders.
• Coordinating with overseas principals and clients and participating in preparation of environmental projects (assessments & data collection)


• Handled accounts of some major oil companies and provided them with occupational safety products.
• Participated in preparing environmental projects tenders.

Environmental Engineer at Al Ghaith Environmental Works
  • United Arab Emirates
  • June 2000 to June 2001

Jun '00 - Jun '01: Al Ghaith Environmental Works, GEW, Abu Dhabi
Environmental Engineer
Accountabilities: • Site Environmental Engineer for treatment of crude oil and refinery sludge at ADNOC-Ruwais Hazardous Waste Management Facility.
• Participating in treatment process design, descriptions and process maps and QA/QC testing for effluent.


• Provided technical support and problem solving for process operations, and at a later stage, functioned as Shift Superintendent and for operation and reporting.
• HSE officer responsible for conducting continuous safety inspections.

Education

Master's degree, Environmental Management
  • at Hamdan Bin Mohammad Smart University
  • June 2015

• M. Sc. Excellence in Environmental Management - HBMeU- Dubai/ UAE (expected) 2015

Diploma, Quantitative Risk Assessment
  • at University of Maryland
  • November 2013

• Training on Quantitative Risk Assessment in Food Safety- University of Maryland; USA 2013

Diploma, Risk Assessment: Analysis and Management
  • at Harvard University
  • March 2012

• Training course on Risk Analysis and Management - Harvard University, Boston, USA 2012

Bachelor's degree, Environmental Engineering
  • at Middle East Technical University
  • August 1999

• B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering- Middle East Technical University, Ankara / Turkey in 1999

Specialties & Skills

EMISSIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES
INSPECTION
INSPECTIONS
MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
OPERATIONS
SITE INVESTIGATIONS

Languages

Arabic
Expert
English
Expert
Turkish
Expert