‘Safety rule violations invite fines up to Dhs10,000′

BY PMA RASHEED
The Gulf Today, 24 Nov 2008

DUBAI Municipality (DM) plans to conduct wide inspections across the sites in the city, where activities going on endangering the life of public, informed a top official at DM.
The companies who raise threat to the life, health and asset of the general public will be facing huge fines up to Dhs10,000, said Sultan Essa Al Suwadidi, head of public safety section at DM.
“The new actions from the DM happen in the wake of increasing accidents in the city due to mere ignorance of safety rules and regulations. The authorities will be imposing fines up to Dhs10,000 for each point of violations of the public safety regulations. The companies who are not providing the required safety measures to their workers also will be punished heavily,” he added.
According to him, about 15 per cent of accidents at work happen due to mere carelessness of the safety measures and by using obsolete or non-quality equipments.
“Hoardings of advertisements erected damaging the beauty of the city is violation of the rules. Many hoardings have been fixed without keeping the regulated public safety rules.
The companies putting all types of advertising hoardings and sign boards, violating the public safety regulations, will have to pay the fine of Dhs10,000. Keeping the hoardings and name boards without having regular clean-up and maintenance is also punishable,” Suwadidi pointed out.
Safety equipments
“Several loading and unloading companies in many areas of the city, especially sites like Al Aweer and Ras Al Khor, are reported violating the public safety measures at work.
Many of them use old and not-repaired cranes, ropes and tyres and other machineries, inviting major risks to the workers as well as general public. The loading and unloading sites should be barricaded.”
“The companies must provide the safety equipments like shoes, helmet and other tools to their labourers at work. A supervisor should ensure all needed safety rules have been kept during the work.
All machineries should undergo for an annual certification process by qualified experts, accredited by the Municipality.
Technical workers should also have accreditation and working permit from the central laboratory of DM. Otherwise such companies will face huge fines,” he warned.
“To ensure maximum safety to the life of people is among the most significant concerns of the authorities. So, whoever raises threat to the life of public will face stringent punishments,” Suwadidi said.