Window cleaner shows need for zero tolerance on safety
National Editorial
March 1, 2014 Updated: March 1, 2014 17:15:00
Nobody who saw the photograph taken by Ramesh Menon of the
window cleaner untethered on a thin 13th floor ledge of the Abu Dhabi Mall
building last week could fail to have been shocked by the man’s casual
disregard of his own safety. This was all the more unsettling because the
necessary safety equipment was provided but was not used.
An understandable initial reaction might be to lament what
seems to be the lack of progress made to improve the safety of workers in the
UAE but on reflection, there are positives that emerge from this incident.
One is that the photographer recorded the incident then
reported it to the mall management rather than simply shrugging his shoulders
at obvious dangerous conduct. Safety is everyone’s job and Mr Menon showed that
members of the public are not going to turn a blind eye to it.
Another is that the cleaning company had its contract
terminated. This zero-tolerance policy is essential, even though it might seem
tough when the company provided all the equipment to do the job safely, only
for it to be ignored by the worker. But employers must account for workers with
little education who will be tempted to risk their own safety to make life
easier. Only then will safety really improve.
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