A safety culture is critical

I see that many old buildings in Abu Dhabi city are being painted these days. While this beautification campaign should be appreciated, I have noticed that some safety elements are being ignored in the process.

Most of the maintenance teams use poor quality suspended cradles and the painters are not properly harnessed and do not wear safety helmets. Even if they do have helmets, they often keep them aside as they probably feel the helmet-shaped plastic caps may not be much help in case of an accident.

Through this community report, I request the supervisors of companies undertaking such jobs to take appropriate measures for the safety of the workers.

I also urge the authorities to implement mandatory safety procedures, equipment and dress codes for all involved in such high-risk jobs. Let us be proactive and think of safety 24/7, rather than acting after an incident happens.

— The reader is a technical officer, based in Abu Dhabi