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Insurers must ensure safety standards

Insurance companies will now have to pay up civil defence bills in case of fire in establishments and warehouses, according to the Ministry of Interior.

  • By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:06 April 8, 2008
  • Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: Insurance companies will now have to pay up civil defence bills in case of fire in establishments and warehouses, according to the Ministry of Interior.

Fire incidents at residential buildings have been excluded.

The decision, as per the directives of Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, came close on the heels of several blazes happening across the UAE which incurred huge losses.

According to a study, it costs the Civil Defence Department Dh250 per minute to put off a blaze. Also human error has been identified as the cause of over 25 per cent of fire accidents.

"It is essential to pass on the responsibly of fire accidents to owners of companies and establishments, to a certain extent, to ensure that they follow the rules and regulations and take necessary precautionary measures. Since insurance companies will now have to pay up the costs, they would also make sure that the company they are insuring is adhering to safety standards," said Major General Mohammad Salem Bin Kardoos Al Ameri, Director-General of Civil Defence in the UAE.

Though the decision has just been announced, ministry officials confirmed that insurance companies will pay for the Khalid Port blaze at Sharjah in August 2007 and the Al Quoz illegal firecracker blaze in April 2008. The Khalid Port inferno took over 11 hours to be put off as thousands of oil barrels caught fire.

"Despite holding awareness campaigns in many languages to cater to multicultural population of the country, awareness still is a big issue," he said.

A meeting was held last week between the members of the Emirates Insurance Association (EIA) and senior Interior Ministry officials to discuss methods to curb fire accidents.

Speaking to Gulf News, Fareed Lutfi, Secretary-General of EIA said, "Even as we were in the meeting there were two major fire accidents. Though there are existing regulations it is important to codify this. Many well established insurance companies inspect the premises before insuring a company but there are others who don't."

All the insurance companies that are registered with the Ministry of Economy are members of EIA. Apart from 51 insurance companies, around 70 brokers are also part of the association.

Insurance companies will inspect the premises to ensure storage conditions, especially of flammable materials, for safety.

Draft law: Stiff fines for violators

A new federal law on civil defence which stipulates harsh penalties for establishments who flout safety regulations will come into effect soon, senior Civil Defence officials said.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday morning, Major General Mohammad Salem Bin Kardoos Al Ameri, Director-General of Civil Defence in the UAE, said the draft law has been submitted to the office of Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior.

"The new law would impose harsh penalties on those companies whose negligence results in fire accidents. We did a comprehensive study of the present situation in the wake of several major fire incidents, like the one in Al Quoz warehouse and that in Sharjah Port last year, to identify and rectify the loopholes in the existing law."

Once the minister approves the draft, it will be submitted to the higher authorities for final approval, he noted. "The new Federal Law on Civil Defence will come into effect very soon," he said.

Do you think that such a move would help reduce the number of fire incidents? What other steps can be taken to ensure safety in the workplace?

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