AD Municipality, MoL to implement new safety standards

AD Municipality, MoL to implement new safety standards
By Ahmed Abdul Aziz (Staff reporter / KHALEEJ TIMES) 13 July 2008

ABU DHABI - The Abu Dhabi Municipality recently organised a one-day workshop on the occupational health and safety standards for representatives of more than 30 contracting companies in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, according to a senior official at the municipality.

'The workshop aimed at completing a survey on the work sites to ensure implementing the safety measures to save the workers' lives and protect their health,' said Ibrahim H. Baqer, Director of Safety and Quality Department at the municipality.

Baqer told Khaleej Times that the Head of Occupational Safety and Health at the Ministry of Labour (MoL) and directors from 31 leading construction and contracting companies in the emirate attended the workshop.

He added the efforts on improving the safety standards in the emirate are in line with the Abu Dhabi 2030 strategy.

Tom Banies, Senior Health and Safety Engineer (HSE) at the municipality, said, 'The aim of the survey is to understand how you can manage the entities to ensure the safety at the companies and to create a tool to manage the work environment.'

Twenty teams, each having three HSEs, would conduct the survey at the sites. The survey's results would be available by the end of August this year.

Meanwhile, sources at the MoL affirmed that the Abu Dhabi's Occupational Safety and Health Office will add the new suggested evaluation items to the inspection sheets.

More than 50 items have been identified for evaluation to implement the new safety standards.

They include site offices and welfare, fire precautions and evacuation, safe working on roofs, employers' liability insurance compensation certificate, designers' workplace hazards and risks assessment, pre-construction information and phase plan, highway traffic management, first aid specialists and noise level at the work site.