Equipment failure fatal for cradle workers

This summer, seven men fell to their deaths on Sharjah building sites, highlighting the need for regular inspections to ensure proper maintenance.

Federal laws state that each cradle must be inspected prior to use, and issued with a safety certificate.

DUBAI // Under the watchful eye of Erwin David, Bhaskar Dedgela checks the strength of the wind before he straps himself in.

"If it's windy I am really worried," says Mr Dedgela. "A smooth day is a good day."

He is attaching himself to a cradle, one of the thousands that hang from buildings being built across the UAE. The cradle is suspended by two cables and two back-up cables.

This summer, seven men working in cradles fell to their deaths in two incidents in Sharjah. While nobody has been held responsible, the incidents have drawn attention to the danger faced by cradle workers, and the importance of proper inspections.

Mr Dedgela clicks the fall arrester to a fifth cable, which is independent of the cradle and is there to suspend him if the cradle falls.

As he does so, Mr David, a Filipino safety inspector for Claymore Safety, is making notes. Mr David is there to check the cradle is safe to use. If it is, he will issue a safety certificate on behalf of Dubai Municipality. Mr Dedgela works for SGT, which hires out cradles to building sites across the country.

Sabith Bhaskara Pillai, SGT's on-site safety manager, says if anything goes wrong he will be held responsible.

"We have to keep the safety standards high and so far we've had no accidents," he says.

Federal laws state that each cradle must be independently inspected prior to use, and issued with a safety certificate. Enforcement, however, varies between emirates. In the event of a fatal accident, police look first at the safety certificate, then work their way up the chain of command to the operator, the site safety manager and then the site owner.

Today, Mr David has two cradles to inspect at Emirates Park in Business Bay. Both have been moved to a new location and re-rigged. First he checks their serial numbers.

"There are so many parts to check first time around," he says.

There are 21 parts that need checking on each cradle, ranging from essential parts such as the wire ropes and the electric motors to the electrical connections and the lights.

"The serial number needs to be checked, the manufacturer's name recorded and everything has to be in working order before we lift it," he says.

After that, 150kg of cement blocks are placed in the cradle along with Mr Dedgela, who weighs 54kg. The cradle's listed maximum load is 200kg. Mr David watches from the ground. Two metres up, the cradle jams. Mr David goes in for a closer look while Mr Dedgela wrestles with the controls.

"The left side is not lifting it," says Mr David. The operator lowers the rig back to the ground.

Mr David gets in the cradle and pulls some levers before delivering his verdict: fail.

"It is too dangerous," he says. "If that got stuck when it was off the side of a building, it could be up there for some time."

As Mr Pillai calls in a maintenance team, the inspector focuses his attention on the second cradle. Again, he checks it over, and loads in the weights. This one lifts successfully off the ground. Minutes later, Mr David straps on his own harness and clambers in.

"My family always ask me to come back to the Philippines when I tell them about my job," he says. "They don't like it when I tell them the heights I work at."

With him on board, the cradle is hoisted about eight storeys before being returned to the ground. Its passenger, though, is far from happy.

"The motor was burning," says Mr David. "There was a very strong smell of an electric fire. The motor needs to be replaced before I can pass it."

By now, the first cradle has been repaired. A 20-storey round-trip is enough to convince the inspector to issue a safety certificate.

Mr Pillai says the cradle was easy to repair. "It was a loose connection in the electrics that needed to be fixed. It happens, but we have our maintenance on the ground here too who know what they are doing."

The other cradle will not be hard to fix either. "We will have a new motor in the other one by tomorrow. It is best we have these tested to keep the safety standards as high as possible." He expects Mr David back tomorrow for a re-inspection.

Mr David, who has been inspecting cradles in the UAE for two years, says the standards in Dubai are high.

"It is best we keep everybody safe and if anything looks any way out of place, I don't pass it."