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Construction work on building stopped

AJMAN — Construction work on a new tower at the Ajman Corniche was stopped by the municipality, as the contracting and consultancy companies were found not abiding by safety and security procedures that protect labourers on the site.

Following up on this case, the municipality has organised inspection campaigns to ensure that all contracting companies carrying out projects in the emirate follow the safety regulations set by the civic body.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Saif Salim Al Shamsi, Deputy Director of the Ajman Municipality said that due to the rapid development and growth in the field of construction and real estate currently being witnessed in the emirate, the Building and Construction Control Section is making great efforts in ensuring a safe environment for workers, forcing such companies to implement safety procedures.

The companies should provide the workers with safety shoes and hat as well as necessary protection gear that prevents them from heatstroke like provision on site for drinking water and enough breaktime in order to resume work with more energy. The municipality has banned contracting companies from allowing workers to work during daytime when the temperature is very high, in accordance with the Labour Law which was issued last year to prevent workers from working under high temperatures during the day.

Hamad Al Shamsi, Director of Khalifa Hospital, said that since the summer began, there have been no cases of heatstroke of workers reported so far at the hospital. But we can expect such cases in the near future if the companies fail to abide by the Ministry of Labour and the municipality’s regulations on safety. He added that the contracting companies should provide the supervisors and the foremen of these workers with a training course to educate them about the immediate first aid measures they can take while waiting for help to arrive.

“Supervisors should also be familiarised with heatstroke symptoms, which include headache, dizziness, confusion, seizure, dry skin that is flushed but not sweat, high body temperature, loss of consciousness, rapid heartbeat as well as hallucinations. Unfortunately, most of the construction companies do not abide by the rules and regulations on protecting the rights of these workers, and they are not even bothered to provide them with necessary medical emergency aid that can save their lives,” Al Shamsi added.

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