HSE
My comments : Decreasing overall speed should be goal of radar The National Dt. 09 March 2014
A driver can also be pulled over and issued a fine by a traffic policeman, who use both marked and unmarked patrol cars.
“I’ve seen a heightened police presence on Saadiyat highway and the road towards Mussaffah when you drive through Salam Street last year,” said Ramesh Menon, an Abu Dhabi resident for 25 years.
“But these days many have resorted to speeding, tailgating and reckless driving since no one’s there to stop and fine them.”
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Letter on: ‘Only a miracle’ can save Michael Schumacher’ – Gulf News Dated 08 March 2014
It is indeed a shocking news. I have been following him all these years. Although not supporting his team, I am a fan of his driving style and fighting spirit. Especially the sport which he was participating requires tremendous physical and mental strength and focus. He remained and conquered all his tracks but left his focus on safety at another place. His accident is a reminder to all of us. Safety is not an item to be ignored at any single moment of our life. I sincerely pray he come back to his normal self and gradually take part in day to day activities and then at least do some role in the Formula 1 race, for all those who followed him, loved watching him race on all the available tracks in the world. God bless.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Letter on: Pupils allowed to smoke in school – Gulf News Dt. 08 March 2014
Thank God!, It is in UK and not in UAE. I wish it is not followed here. Having said that, I can say, even now I do get to see regularly children of a reputed school, smoking hiding behind buildings in front of their school and before they enter their school gate daily. Talking to the groceries nearby and reprimanding them to not give any cigarettes to students, I feel, these are easily available at sources who do not care. Parents have a big role as well as teachers at schools too to check whether children are indulging in this. If parents or teachers are in the smoking category, no luck for who speak against smoking. According to me, smoking and specially, smoking in public is strictly injurious to others health and mind, not if to those who do it.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Letter on: I don’t blame my son, it is not his fault, grieving father says – Gulf News Dt 05th March 2014
The comment by a student here make a deeper insight to several things happening among the children including their thinking pattern. It also bring to our attention several questions. Why we see an increased suicidal tendency happening in children in the UAE. Is it due to parental negligence, lack of time or any other financial issues related to parents which are indirectly affecting children. Or is it due to some kind of unwarranted treatment or bullying happening at the school either by teachers or other students? Or rather is it due to an increased influence of tv or cinema showing suicides. Children are much knowledgeable these days as they have easy access to electronic media and are aware of everything happening in this world. Parents and schools have equally important role in grooming them to be a socially involved person, who does not get affected easily by minor or major situations affecting them in their day to day life. In the past, we grew up in an school system where a child from a very small age get proper attention from his teacher, who in all probability see him grow till he finishes his higher classes. The teacher also by his experience and close interactions with the parents, know what kind of upbringing the child gets from home. The frequent changes of teaching staff that may be happening within schools and shortage of experienced hands to impart value added education apart from the prescribed curriculum is a bigger threat to the future of our young generation. Since both the recent case of suicides involved Indian students and related to some unknown reasons connected with examinations, I humbly suggest the Community Affairs and Cultural Wing of Embassy of India to initiate necessary guidance programmes, talk shows to children at schools and at various community centres by eminent counsellors available within UAE and from India.
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Letter on : Children rescued after Fujairah school bus blaze – Gulf News Dt. 03 March 2014
I sincerely congratulate the bus staff and teachers who managed the situation well to avoid any danger to the children present at the time of the incident. It is not an easy task to evacuate 30 plus kids with one exit door. As regards to the comment supporting villa schools, our children are already deprived of many sports and recreational activities if they continue to remain in the cramped villa facilities. More space to move around, play and breath fresh air is the need of the hour for our children. Indeed, traffic safety is a matter of concern when the schools does not follow proper regulation to transport children to and from school to home. However, it is not an impediment to their education. Think of our days, where we had to walk, change buses and study, and the new age kids, who get into the bus from the door step to the school door. I am sure, any child who is in a villa school will display the difference in overall attitude and educational progress, when he or she gets a move to a school with better space and infrastructure than the age old villas. Toilet facilities, danger of fire (there are several examples, which do not get reported) and other medical and psychological hazards of being in a tiny environment add more damage to the child’s growth. Safety does not remain alone, and it is a combined element along with Health and Environment, and definitely need greater awareness for it.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Window cleaner shows need for zero tolerance on safety – The National Editorial Dt. 02 March 2014
Window cleaner shows need for zero tolerance on safety
National Editorial
March 1, 2014 Updated: March 1, 2014 17:15:00
Nobody who saw the photograph taken by Ramesh Menon of the window cleaner untethered on a thin 13th floor ledge of the Abu Dhabi Mall building last week could fail to have been shocked by the man’s casual disregard of his own safety. This was all the more unsettling because the necessary safety equipment was provided but was not used.
An understandable initial reaction might be to lament what seems to be the lack of progress made to improve the safety of workers in the UAE but on reflection, there are positives that emerge from this incident.
One is that the photographer recorded the incident then reported it to the mall management rather than simply shrugging his shoulders at obvious dangerous conduct. Safety is everyone’s job and Mr Menon showed that members of the public are not going to turn a blind eye to it.
Another is that the cleaning company had its contract terminated. This zero-tolerance policy is essential, even though it might seem tough when the company provided all the equipment to do the job safely, only for it to be ignored by the worker. But employers must account for workers with little education who will be tempted to risk their own safety to make life easier. Only then will safety really improve.
Abu Dhabi window cleaners without safety harness spark concerns – The National Dt. 28 February 2014
Abu Dhabi window cleaners without safety harness spark concerns
Anwar Ahmad
ABU DHABI //
ABU DHABI // It was enough to send shivers up the spines of witnesses – two window cleaners disconnecting their safety cables and walking along the thin ledge of a tower on the 13th floor of Abu Dhabi Mall.
It was also enough for the mall’s management to cancel its contract with the cleaning company.
“The process had been going on for more than half an hour,” said Ramesh Menon, who watched from a nearby building on Monday.
“Despite our alerting the mall management, these cleaning staff continued to work in the same way. They walked on the small edges to clean.
“These floors are the empty blocks in the tower, and hot and rainy weather could have weakened the exterior tiles. So the tiles could break and they might slip and fall.
“These cleaners had not connected their cleaning equipment, such as a brush or bucket, so if these tools slipped from their hands they could fall down and harm others.”
Pradeep Kumar, a window cleaner with MBM Caring for Environment, said workers continued to defy rules stating that safety equipment must be used at all times.
“Window cleaners on high-rise buildings still risk their lives,” said Mr Kumar, whose company was not involved in the mall incident.
“In fact, they are trained to take the job and asked to wear all safety gear but they still take risks. We are trained for three to four months and assigned jobs in smaller buildings first.
“During my two years as a window cleaner I knew a few people who fell from the top and died due to a lack of safety measures.”
Abu Dhabi Municipality regulations state window cleaners must use either a cradle, or two ropes attached to their safety harnesses and the roof of the building.
“In comparison to cradles, ropes are very safe and comfortable where one can sit and clean,” Mr Kumar said.
“Ropes are tied on top very tightly and you can slide down smoothly, whereas cradles are controlled by machines and sometimes they stop working, get jammed, or fail and suddenly fall.
“We call them a single rope but there are two ropes that support the person. Both are hooked with a person’s safety gear.”
The cleaners also use a device called a window keeper, which can be attached to a window like a suction cup.
Mr Menon said he alerted the mall management when he saw the cleaners on the ledge.
“I called the senior manager of the mall who alerted security of Abu Dhabi Mall, who intervened and immediately stopped them,” he said.
“But within half an hour they had cleaned the windows on three levels. Think how fast they work and how dangerous that is.”
Abu Dhabi Mall said it enforced tough rules on cleaning companies and had cancelled the contract of the company for which the two cleaners worked.
“On receiving the complaints we immediately stopped them and terminated their contracts with the mall as they were not following safety rules,” said Shri Kumar, security site manager at Abu Dhabi Mall.
“They had a safety rope but detached it while cleaning, which is against safety rules. Now we will hire another company for the job.”
Abu Dhabi Municipality said it had taken a number of strict measures to enforce building safety.
Companies who break the rules face fines of between Dh10,000 and Dh20,000.
“Scaffolds, cradles, rope access, cranes and platforms used must conform to the local and international safety standards,” the municipality said.
anwar@thenational.ae
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Seeding can make the most of clouds – Letters to the editor – The National Dt. 28 February 2014
Seeding can make the most of clouds Cloud-seeding is an interesting topic for those who value our water resources (Meet the UAE cloud-seeding captain who flies into the eye of the storm, February 26). Every time I arrive at the Abu Dhabi or Dubai airport, I get the opportunity to see that this part of the world is blessed with a great quantity and quality of water-filled clouds. By judicious use of the cloud-seeding method, the meteorology department should be able to harvest more rain. Having more water will benefit both farmers and the general community. If it is done properly, this scientific intervention should not affect the blessings given to this country by its desert climate. Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/feedback/india-should-chase-down-all-its-criminals#ixzz2ubXkUzXo Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
When will people learn about safety? – Letters to the editor – The National Dt. 26 February 2014
Pictures speak a thousand words, they say.
If you look at the photo I took, you will know how some companies jeopardise the lives of their employees.
It was shocking.
Can we care less about human lives?
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/feedback/when-will-people-learn-about-safety#ixzz2uQiprmQt Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
Learn a lesson – Gulf News Dt. 13 February 2014 – Letters to the editor
Learn a lesson
During my recent visit to Bangalore, I happened to watch a group of monkeys drinking water from taps set up in a small village temple near Bangalore. They were very clever and cautious as they operated the taps and drank water. They very sensibly closed the taps as they left. I was amazed by the way they solved their thirst without wasting even single drop of water. I think we all have a lesson here to learn.
From Mr Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
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