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Fire safety main focus of new Environment, Health and Safety regulations for high-rise construction.
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| 1 Aug 2007 |
The Construction Safety Department of EHS, the Environment, Health and Safety regulatory arm of Dubai World has introduced tough new measures to guard against fire accidents, especially at high-rise construction sites, starting from 30 July 2007.
Under the new procedure, it is mandatory for building contractors to obtain a Certificate of Conformity once the height of the building reaches 24 meters, and does not exceed 30 meters, before construction is allowed to proceed further.
In addition to the general safety requirements for work on heights, there is special emphasis on fire safety, including provisions for the appointment of fire marshals, efficient evacuation procedures, installation of a wet riser, and fire doors and stopping on the stair core.
Ahmed Abdul Hussain, CEO, EHS, said: "The regulations are in line with our main objective of ensuring maximum health and safety in the workplace. With the increase in the number of high-rises, there is an urgent need to address fire safety issues, and to ensure that fire safety is given the utmost importance in such places."
Mark Warrington, Vice President, Construction Safety, EHS, said: "The new fire safety requirement is the latest in a series of steps being taken by EHS to set the highest possible fire safety standards for Dubai World projects. While we are working with contractors on existing high-rise projects to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations, the new requirement guarantees that any future structure rising above 30 meters does so with these regulations and standards in place."
In May this year, EHS had issued new regulations on fire safety for under- construction buildings with compliance required by mid June. The fire safety circular called for the installation of wet risers during construction, and the commissioning of a fire-fighting shaft with fire doors and fire stopping.
The contractors were also required to ensure that adequate arrangements are in place to trigger fire alarms, and efficient evacuation of workers is ensured in case of a fire.
Starting July 15, a number of poorly performing contractors have been identified and issued stop-work orders, in addition to heavy financial penalties for non-compliance.
Mr. Warrington said: "The stop-work order will always be considered the last resort for main contractors who have blatantly disregarded the requirements of the fire safety circular. EHS will use its enforcement powers to financially penalize those that delay or prolong compliance. This approach ensures that we get the compliance with international standards without bringing work on high-rise buildings under Dubai World to a standstill."
EHS granted a grace period of one month to allow defaulting contractors to introduce the safety measures before initiating enforcement action.
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