Opinion 2014

Abu Dhabi window cleaners without safety harness spark concerns – The National Dt. 28 February 2014

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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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This entry was posted in HSE, Letters to the editor, Mind Speaks, Opinion 2014, Safety First, The National.

Seeding can make the most of clouds – Letters to the editor – The National Dt. 28 February 2014

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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

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When will people learn about safety? – Letters to the editor – The National Dt. 26 February 2014

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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

This entry was posted in HSE, Letters to the editor, Mind Speaks, Opinion 2014, Safety First, The National.

Youth power – Gulf Today – Short Take Dt. 22 February 2014

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Youth power
I had an opportunity to attend a forum “Big Achievements. Early Starts” conducted by the Salama Bint Al Nahyan Foundation. The five youth achievers, Abdul Muqeet Abdul Mannan, Adeeb Al Blooshi, Cameron Oliver, Dubai Abulhoul  and Hamda Al Bana were honoured.
They made individual presentations to the audience and followed it up with a one-to-one conversation. They talked about the rationale behind their ideas, how they accomplished them and the difficulties they faced.
All of them were crystal clear about their chosen path and had definite vision for their life ahead.
It also highlighted that these children are definitely an asset to the society and inspire many others as they progressed ahead.
No wonder, the forum opened up the hidden wealth of the nation – that is the “youth.” All those who attended left with confidence that the leaders of the country are rightly investing in local talents with a vision far ahead to make the UAE stand tall and proud among the nations of the world.

Ramesh Menon
Gulf Today, Short Take Dt. 22nd February 2014
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Disciplined life – Gulf Today – Short Take – Dt. 15 February 2014

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Disciplined life
During my recent visit to Bangalore, I was lucky to be with a close family friend and her mother. She had just lost her father.
After the rituals got over, she had brought her mother to stay with her at Bangalore rather than be at their village house in a faraway place. Just to bring her back to normal life, we decided to take her for a short drive one evening.
On our way, the talk revolved around her late father.
I realised from her and her mother a lot of things that one should emulate in life. Although in good health till he met with an accident, he was farsighted and had maintained a systematic life.
He was keeping a diary and had written even minute details of all things, including his financial dealings in it. He had also listed down in detail all the investments he had made for the family. Surprisingly, a few weeks before he had also made a will and had correctly nominated his wife and children to their respective rights and reserves.
Unfortunately, fate had its own way and it proved handy for his family when he passed away in short time.
Although they lost him, they never felt struck for any important matters related to the day-to-day running of the family because of his systematic way of life. It was visible from the full gratitude and expression of that elderly lady during her reminiscences of her ex-husband and life with him.
To live and leave this world peacefully without causing any trouble to anyone is really a blessing.
Ramesh Menon

Short Take – Gulf Today – Dt. 15 February 2014

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Learn a lesson – Gulf News Dt. 13 February 2014 – Letters to the editor

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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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Lorry drivers must heed safety rules – Letter to the editor – The National Dt. 07 February 2014

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Safety is of paramount importance when it comes to the presence and behaviour of lorries on our highways (Set maximum driving hours for truck drivers, UAE transport companies told,February 3).
It is important for drivers of heavy vehicles to have periodic training about maintaining safety and discipline on the road.
It is essential for logistics controllers to allow sufficient time for vehicles to complete a journey, taking into account all anticipated traffic delays on the route.

It is also very important for other road users to report any rash driving involving heavy vehicles.
All large vehicles should be required to display a reachable contact number for other motorists to contact if they see poor driving, speeding or a faulty vehicle.
This should also be the case for lorries coming into the UAE from other countries. Often their number plates are hidden behind a road permit board.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
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This entry was posted in HSE, Letters to the editor, Mind Speaks, Opinion 2014, Road Safety, Safety First, The National.

There has to be a way to report rash driving – Community Report – Gulf News – Dt 27th January 2014

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No way to report bad driving

Reader says that all buses should have contact details to report bad driving practices.
By Ramesh Menon Gulf News reader
Published: 18:07 January 26, 2014

The effort by the UAE transport authorities to streamline road safety is getting side tracked by some inadvertent measures taken by transport carriers. Or are they intentional?

I am referring to the regulation to display a contact number on the mini and heavy buses carrying passengers. These days, many of them do not have a signboard and some of them display email addresses or switchboard numbers. Both are not effective, in case of an emergency situation, or in order to report road rage noticed on the road.

What was surprising to me was the fact that even school buses did not carry these signboards. In addition, these signs are to be written in lumniscent letters in a sufficiently large size so that they can be read easily during the day or night.

These boards should also be placed on all the government-owned transport vehicles, as they are also seen driving on the hard shoulder at times.

A few days ago, I struggled to find out the details of a speeding bus driver who was continuously flashing the headlights at me and driving at a speed higher than the regulatory speed. On another occasion, I was too shocked to see a big trailer speeding within the city of Abu Dhabi, but there was really no way to find out the company details or contacts for those responsible for it.

We need more awareness on the dangers of heavy vehicles speeding. I humbly request the concerned authorities to ensure these traffic regulations are strictly followed.

The reader is based in Abu Dhabi.

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Get tough with errant motorists – Letters to the editor – The National Dt. 26 January 2014

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Get tough with errant motorists

It is extremely sad to read that within a week’s gap another major multiple-car collision happened on the UAE roads (Heavy fog on Abu Dhabi to Dubai motorway causes mass vehicle pile-ups, January 24).

Obviously the weather is not the culprit, as similar conditions are experienced by people in many other countries across the world. The main culprit are the drivers themselves.

A lot has to be done in terms of driving practices and attitude of drivers, especially during such unfavourable weather conditions. I would suggest the authorities implement new rules incorporating mandatory reduction of speed limit by 40 per cent during inclement weather conditions.

At the same time, fines should be doubled or tripled with compulsory community services for errant motorists.

A strong sense of road safety should be cultivated through sustained efforts. More police presence and warning signs could also be part of the solution. Meanwhile, one could follow the simple principle: start early, drive carefully, reach safely.


Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

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It’s drivers, not the fog, that caused 57-vehicle crash – Letters to the editor – The National – 19 January 2014

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It’s drivers, not the fog, that caused 57-vehicle crash
Letters to the editor – The National online dated 18 January 2014
in print 19 January 2014
Your news article, 57-vehicle pile-up brings traffic to a standstill on Al Ain-Abu Dhabi highway (January 16), reflects a black day in the history of road safety in the UAE, even though on this occasion it seems there were no fatalities.
The issue is, once again, drivers’ behaviour during adverse weather conditions. Some of our roads, and especially the Dubai-Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi-Al Ain roads, have strange weather pockets where one experiences dense fog with visibility below 50 meters.
Some drivers ignore the danger and continue to drive fast without any caution for themselves or others. When they encounter drivers ahead who have reduced their speed, the result is a multiple collision of the kind in your article.
The UAE is lucky to have both modern weather forecasting equipment and a comprehensive road-control system. The police should join forces with meteorological experts and issue alerts about dangerous weather conditions such as fog or sandstorms more promptly than they do now. This should be backed by deploying patrol cars on these roads during these foggy mornings so that they create a sense of caution among those who speed.
The speed limit ought to be temporarily lowered by 40 per cent during times of poor visibility, with speed cameras adjusted to suit. In times of fog and sandstorms, the fines for speeding ought to be doubled and those repeat offenders ought to have their licences suspended or cars impounded.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
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