ABU DHABI // The municipality plans to start cracking down on health and safety violators on construction sites in the coming year, as tentative statistics show the number of reported accidents increased in 2011.
In November, officials stepped up inspections and began more aggressively issuing fines.
"Our strategy was not to fine directly," said Abdulaziz Zurub, head of health, safety and environment (HSE) at the municipality.
"We started with awareness and site visits, but now we are turning to fines and the court process. We need to bring best practices into Abu Dhabi, but we need support from the companies that are the ones who need to change to a culture of safety."
Anyone fined for one of 32 violations from municipal inspectors will need to pay before any new permits will be issued.
Earlier this year, the municipality introduced a blacklist for repeat violators. Depending on the severity of the violations, a company can be barred from operating in the capital for three, six or 12 months.
The Department of Economic Development is working with the municipality to revoke offenders' licences.
Fines can range from Dh1,000 for failing to make approved plans and permits available at the site to Dh50,000 for violations including demolition without proper permits and building beyond approved dimensions.
The measure is part of the municipality's efforts to increase HSE awareness on construction sites. This month marks one year since the municipality began requiring contractors and consultants to submit comprehensive safety plans before receiving building permits.
In the capital, about 20 inspectors carry out daily inspections, and about 3,000 random inspections have been completed this year.
Though official numbers from the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (Haad) reported a 19 per cent decrease in workplace fatalities, this year has seen a spike in accidents on construction sites, Mr Zurub said.
The increased numbers could be attributed to increased reporting.
"Our investigators are identifying the lessons to be learned," he said. "Why it happened, what is the root cause, how we can avoid it."
This is the first year the municipality has collected statistics, but numbers are not yet available.
In 2010, there were 551 workplace deaths, a drop from 680 in 2009, according to data provided by Haad. Numbers for 2011 will be available early next year.
Falling from height and being struck by falling objects remain the most common hazards for labourers on construction sites, according to the Haad report. Mr Zurub said unsafe scaffolding and open shafts are common violations.
No fire incidents have been reported this year.
"Our inspectors are patrolling all the sites," Mr Zurub said. "We have big plans for next year, getting the message out about safety issues."
Some experts said more needs to be done to ensure contractors understand the regulations.
"Most contractors don't know what the municipality is requiring," said Saif Hamam, a business development consultant at the Emirates Institute for Health and Safety, an Abu-Dhabi based organisation that offers HSE training. "They just know that they have to be in compliance, but no one is explaining how and where to get this information."
Mr Hamam said contractors are paying the minimum amount to consultants to develop safety plans that pass only the basic requirements for the municipality.
"What they want is the cheapest quotation possible," he said. "They will buy a safety plan but never look at it or implement it."
Mr Zurub said the municipality will also work on improving its system for reporting violators to the courts in an effort to help companies understand the penalties.
The HSE annual report is under development and is expected to be completed early next year. The report will outline the number of accidents, fatalities and violators in 2011, and review training and workshops carried out this year.
jthomas@thenational.ae
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
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Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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'Will%20of%20the%20People'
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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UAE's final round of matches
- Sep 1, 2016 Beat Japan 2-1 (away)
- Sep 6, 2016 Lost to Australia 1-0 (home)
- Oct 6, 2016 Beat Thailand 3-1 (home)
- Oct 11, 2016 Lost to Saudi Arabia 3-0 (away)
- Nov 15, 2016 Beat Iraq 2-0 (home)
- Mar 23, 2017 Lost to Japan 2-0 (home)
- Mar 28, 2017 Lost to Australia 2-0 (away)
- June 13, 2017 Drew 1-1 with Thailand (away)
- Aug 29, 2017 v Saudi Arabia (home)
- Sep 5, 2017 v Iraq (away)
