Severity of accidents highlights lack of safety at construction sites

Accidents are becoming more serious on Dubai's construction sites although they are occurring less frequently, a municipal source said.

Last year's death toll was 23 in construction-related accidents, a 16 per cent increase from 2003. The number could be higher if all accidents in free zones in Dubai were taken into account.

There was also a 300 per cent jump in construction-related injuries. A total of 105 people were injured last year against 35 in 2003.

This year, at least 27 accidents have occurred so far.

Although conclusive figures were not available, Gulf News has learnt there were 9 accidents in February, resulting in 10 injuries and 2 deaths.

The municipal source, who declined to be named, said early indications from this year showed accidents were becoming more severe, but were fewer in number compared with last year.

He said many of the more severe accidents were caused by faulty equipment.

"We are talking about scaffolding falling and injuring four workers, or a steel disk on a grinder becoming loose and injuring a worker, he said. "There is a gap in checking professional tools."

The source said the blame lies with construction companies that do not pay enough attention to safety standards.

"In so many sites, the safety officer is the storekeeper. The first-aid worker is the assistant storekeeper who's had a day's worth of first-aid experience."

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