DM, Civil Defence discuss simplifying building permits

Dubai Municipality held a meeting with Dubai Civil Defence Department recently on improving and simplifying the procedures between the two in order to provide excellent advanced services and facilitate the work procedures under one roof.

During the discussion both the sides addressed the issue of improving the procedures regarding building permits and ways to develop procedures and opportunities for improvement in this area.

The Municipality was represented in the meeting by Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of Corporate Excellence Department and Yusuf Abdullah, Head of the Licensing Section in the Buildings Department and a number of officials from the department, while the Civil Defence was represented by Major Jamal Ahmad, Director of Preventive Safety Department and a number of other officials.

Al Hammadi, said the meeting was organized following a directive of the Council of Ministers and the Dubai Executive Council to work towards giving more care in the development of work and procedures among government establishments and departments in a way that achieves the ideal environment for investment and customer service so as to provide services simply and clearly to the customers.

She added that the meeting also comes in parallel with the directives of the government based on the report of the World Bank to improve the procedures and raising the status of the UAE and the city of Dubai with other countries in the world.

Al Hammadi pointed out that all departments and establishments in the country are trying to coordinate with others in developing procedures and this meeting will help in the efforts to streamline the building licensing procedures.

"Everybody would like to join the group of bodies that offer these services and the Civil Defence is one among them. During the meeting the importance of providing services through one place was emphasized so that it becomes easier for the investor or the customer to obtain the service without any trouble saving his time and effort, In addition to that the meeting also discussed distribution of tasks as per their importance between the two bodies so that the customer does not feel the existence of multiplicity of bodies that interact and deal with him," she said.

The two sides emphasized the importance of facilitating services to the customers, need to encourage them to support the investment environment, achieving excellence in providing building permit services, importance of providing all the necessary support from both sides and concerted efforts towards the development of such procedures in a way, which would be worthy of the reputation that suits the city of Dubai.

Construction safety course for DM engineers

Dubai Municipality, in cooperation with Mirdif Security & Safety Consultants, recently organized a course for its engineers as part of the series of training courses held by the Engineering Supervision Section in the Buildings Department aimed at enhancing their level of competence, field supervision and work inspection in construction sites.

The course coincides with the Buildings Department issuing a the Safety Manual for construction sites in Arabic and English, which is considered to be one of the major reference material on safety in construction sites in the emirate of Dubai. Contractors and consultants can get a copy of the manual from the concerned counters in the Municipality.

All fifty engineers in the Engineering Supervision Section were trained on safety conditions and the new additions in the manual that conforms to the latest and advanced in the field of safety science in the advanced countries.

Committee formed to implement Green Roofs System in Dubai

Dubai Municipality has formed a temporary committee to oversee the implementation of Green Roofs System in the buildings of Dubai emirate as per the directives of the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The move is aimed at applying green buildings standards in the emirate as the green roofs will protect the buildings from the environment and climate angle as well as rationalize the use of power.
Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality, who issued an Administrative Decision in this regard, said the decision comes at a time when the concept of green buildings gains momentum all over the world.
He said green buildings are considered to be environmentally friendly and provide healthier places to live as well as encourage productivity in work places.
The committee is chaired by Eng. Essa Al Maidour, Assistant Director General for Planning and Buildings Affairs with Ahmed Mohammed AbdulKarim, Director of Public Parks and Horticulture Department, Mohammed Noor Mashroom, Director of General Projects Department, Mohamed Ahmed Saleh, Building Expert in the Buildings Department and Fatima Essa Al Mehairi, Head of Gardening and Landscaping Unit in the General Projects Department as members.
As per the Administrative Decision, the committee can take the help of anybody it finds appropriate with expertise from within the Municipality or outside in implementing the system. It can also appoint a secretary from among the Municipality employees.
The committee shall conduct technical studies for the Green Roofs System for buildings in the emirate of Dubai and define the engineering, building, environmental and horticultural specifications as well as the irrigation and water disposal systems as per the best practices in the world.
The committee shall gradually make implementation of the Green Roofs System compulsory in all buildings in the emirate, whether it is private or government, residential, commercial or industrial as per a time schedule, which will be fulfilled in coordination with the Buildings Department in the Municipality.
An awareness campaign will also be organized through various media to introduce the system. Seminars, lectures and meetings involving different bodies concerned in the construction industry would also be conducted.
The project comes as an implementation and follow up of the Green Buildings project. It also caters to the huge urban expansion witnessed by the city of Dubai, which enhances the heat level of the region. Green roofs are considered to be one of the environment friendly solutions taken up by Dubai Municipality to face the project expansions.
The Municipality has conducted an extensive study that confirmed the success of this project in other countries. Hence, the Municipality decided to apply this excellent concept in protecting the environment and reducing the heat level and cleansing the air from other pollutants.
The Green Buildings project becomes important as it reduces carbon emission and enhances indoor environment and air. It also enhanced the health of the society and increases life expectancy of the buildings as well as protects the eco system.

DM issues safety code in English for best practices in construction sites

Dubai, 18 January 2009: Dubai Municipality's Building Department has issued a safety code in English for best practices at construction sites which outlines general and specific safety procedures for all types of construction and demolition works and associated jobs. The Arabic edition of the code has been available since July 2008.

The issuance of this code, titled "Code of Construction Safety Practice" stems from the great concern placed by the municipality for safety issues and the need to introduce future standards for the same.

The code includes a set of rules that will help construction firms adopt the best practices in ensuing safety at construction sites. It can be used as a reference for regulating the working conditions in construction projects for all employees who work with contractors or sub-contractors.

The new safety manual forms part of the set of legislation currently being undertaken by Dubai Municipality with the objective of introducing a complete legal framework in line with the municipality's Strategic Plan 2007-2011. This will result in producing a set of the most important legislation documents for the emirate.

"As we face unprecedented and difficult challenges in offering the best infrastructure for a world-class city like Dubai, the issuance of such a manual is all the more relevant. In designing this manual, many of the safety standards existing in the advanced and developing nations were referred to," Essa Al Maidour, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Planning and Building Affairs, said.

Shedding light on the contents of the code, Al Maidour said the code includes a set of rules which regulate construction projects carried out in the Emirate of Dubai.
The code also lays down stricter fire safety preconditions in the wake of an increased rate of fire accidents at projects under construction. In this regard, the consultants and contractors have to give top priority for early installation of the permanent fire prevention devices and arranging water tanks and water pumps at construction sites to put off fire and sources of alternative energy. This is applicable even if the building is complete and ready for occupation.

Technical guidelines appended to the code are part and parcel of it. All rules and appended technical guidelines stipulated in it shall be applied to all building operations and engineering construction projects undertaken by way of trade or for the purpose of residential, commercial or industrial by or on behalf of the private or the public sector which includes the government or any other public authority.

The code outlines general safety rules and clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the employers, consultant engineers, contractors, sub-contractors with regard to the safety issues. It also lists the minimum requirements and the necessary arrangements to be made throughout all phases of construction including design works, supervision, and implementation in order to save the lives of employees and ensure their safety.

The code says that consultant engineers and contractors are responsible for the overall safety of a construction project throughout the implementation period and thereafter according to the prevailing laws and local order in this regard. Their responsibility also extends to buildings close to the construction site and any other public facility that may be affected by the works. They are also responsible for the safety of all employees and those present at the site or close to it.

The code also lists in detail the types of construction site accidents, work injuries, responsibilities for prevention of accidents, reporting of an accident, investigation into accidents, writing accident reports, vocational health and environment control, personal protection equipment, fire safety, storing of goods at construction sites, excavation works, concrete and block works, steel structure works, tunnels, dams, demolition works, welding works, electricity-related risks, insulation for power sources, hazardous chemical materials, road works, cranes…etc.

Arabic and English copies of the code are available for sale at the Customer Service Centres of the municipality for a price of Dhs100 each.