Al Ain: The importance of safety standards at construction sites and effective control of environmental pollution have driven Al Ain Municipality to set up a dedicated department to supervise all projects in the eastern regions of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Expected to be in place by 2012, the Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Department for the building and construction sector will be the first in the emirate, particularly in the construction sector, said a spokesman for Atkins, the engineering and design consultancy firm hired by the municipality.
The civic body has already completed the first stage of the project. Atkins, in the second phase, will recruit and train inspectors and support staff for the department. It will also set up an IT system along and develop an enforcement strategy.
Landmark project
The new department will ensure safer workplaces, a healthy working environment, minimise pollution and waste and deliver a sustainable lifestyle, said the spokesman.
UAE University research has recently indicated that about two-thirds of occupational injury admissions at Al Ain Hospital in 2008 involved construction workers.
Most of the injuries were caused by falls or falling objects — both of which could be minimised through enforcement, education and precaution.
Atkins' Abu Dhabi director Dr Abdul Latif Merii said: "This is a landmark project... to develop a construction site management system that will safeguard people and the environment. It will quite simply save lives."
