Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Gulf News
Sharjah More than 35 per cent of establishments in the industrial areas of Sharjah city are not adhering to the fire safety rules, a senior civil defence official has revealed.
There are currently 80,000 establishments in the industrial areas and as of 2010, 60 per cent of them were certified by Sharjah Civil Defence.
However, officials emphasised that new establishments will not be allowed to operate unless they meet the fire safety standards.
“For this year, we have certified 417 establishments because they successfully adopted all the fire safety measurements, such as installing fire extinguishers and alarm systems. And we expect to certify more establishments within the coming months,” said Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al Tunaiji, Head of Security and Prevention Section, General Administration at Sharjah Civil Defence.
Pre-requisite
“The certifications were given to recently opened commercial, industrial and residential establishments in order to ensure that from the day they first start operating they are not exposed to any fire hazards,” said Lt Col Al Tunaiji, who pointed out that the aim of these certifications is to reduce the frequency of fire-related accidents in factories, warehouses and homes.
Sharjah Civil Defence has cooperated with several governmental bodies, including Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) and the Sharjah Economic Development Department, to set mandatory rules for owners to obtain a certified letter ensuring that their establishments are up to standards. The certified letter is a pre-requisite for obtaining water and electricity connections, in addition to other licences.
“This certificate is obligatory for all establishments that have been recently launched. If they do not receive the certificate, then they will not be able to receive the services of any other government department,” he said.
Lt Col Al Tunaiji noted that Civil Defence inspectors, in addition to companies specialising in fire safety and preventive measures approved by the authority, are allowed to certify commercial and residential establishments.
Authorised
“We have authorised approximately 70 companies to produce fire safety equipment, and 20 distributors and agents to sell the fire safety equipment, whose responsibility is to strictly abide by the safety specifications and to conduct regular maintenance work,” he added.
By Mariam M. Al Serkal ?Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
