New fire safety regulations have been introduced by the Construction Safety Department of Dubai World’s Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) regulatory arm.
The regulations came into force on 30 July and are aimed at preventing fire accidents, particularly in high-rise construction sites. Under the legislation it is mandatory for contractors to obtain a Certificate of Conformity (COC) when the height of the building reaches between 24m and 30m. Construction cannot proceed further without the issuance of a COC.
In addition to general safety requirements for working at height, the regulations include provisions for the installation of a wet riser, plus fire doors and fire-stopping on the stair core. EHS ceo Ahmed Abdul Hussain commented: “With the increase in the number of high-rise buildings there is an urgent need to address fire safety issues.”
This new regulations are the latest in a series of steps that have been taken by EHS to ensure fire safety in Dubai World projects. In May it issued regulations aimed at buildings under construction, with compliance required by mid-June. Under these, wet risers and a fire-fighting shaft with fire doors and fire-stopping must be installed during construction. An adequate fire alarm system is also required.
A number of stop-work orders and fines have been issued to contractors not meeting the requirements. “The stop-work order will always be considered the last resort for main contractors who have blatantly disregarded the requirements of the fire circular,” stated EHD+S vice president, construction safety Mark Warrington.
“EHS will use its enforcement powers to financially penalise those that delay or prolong compliance,” he warned.
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