A safety adviser to Sharjah Municipality said yesterday that poor equipment meant more accidents, such as the one that saw four men die on Wednesday after falling from a high-rise platform, were inevitable.
"Take my word, it is not the first or the last accident," said Hussain Alysai, the managing director of Claymore Security and Safety Consultants. "They will have more accidents in Sharjah."
The men plunged six storeys to their deaths when the cradle on which they were working to erect a sign on the side of Ansar Mall broke in half.
Mr Alysai has in the past issued safety certificates on behalf of Sharjah Municipality, allowing companies to operate cradles - the baskets used to lift construction workers up the sides of buildings.
He said he had stopped taking some jobs in the emirate because of the standard of the equipment.
"Some people used to call us to give a certificate and we would find rubbish equipment. We gave up working for them because we would test their equipment and it would fail two or three times.
"They didn't care about the servicing, or maintenance of their equipment."
According to Mr Alysai, safety certificates are issued only after an inspector representing the municipality carries out a site visit to examine the ropes, harnesses and cradles. Authorisation certificates can only be issued by Sharjah Municipality on production of a valid safety certificate.
The manager of the mall, Hamid al Mansour, yesterday showed reporters certificates, which apparently gave permission for staff from Al Reyami Signs and Advertising Company to erect the banner.
Police have yet to make any arrests. A full report is not expected until Sunday. Neither Sharjah Municipality nor Al Reyami, the men's employer, have commented.
The cradle was owned by Al Binaya Construction, but rented out to V8 Advertising, which had leased the equipment to Al Reyami.
Mr Alysai said his company inspects cradles throughout the Middle East. "The least amount of calls come from Sharjah. There is a federal law ... but nobody is bothering about it in Sharjah," he said.
"In Dubai and Abu Dhabi it is very tightly regulated and Ras al Khaimah is doing everything it can to increase safety standards."
According to RK Kulkarni, the director of Emirates Contracting, which rents out cradles, it is illegal to rent out or hire a cradle without the proper safety certificates.
"When the cradle is erected, a third party must inspect it before it is used," he said.
"If I am renting out a cradle, I have to call that party and test the cradle if it is suitable for use and it can only be used for its purpose."
Brian Florance, the operations manager of Malt Techniques, which installs and manages cradles in Dubai, said cradles must be checked for a variety of things.
"There are design criteria, installation criteria and safety regulations for working at heights," he said.
@Email:eharnan@thenational.ae
@Email:ykakande@thenational.ae
With additional reporting by Liam Milton-McGurk.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
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Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague.
Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu.
Group C: Sporting Braga, Ludogorets, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir.
Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna , Rijeka, AEK Athens.
Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol.
Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Zlin.
Group G: Vitoria Plzen, Steaua Bucarest, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano.
Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade.
Group I: Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor.
Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersund.
Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem.
Group L: Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar
Company%20Profile
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5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
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5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
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6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
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6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
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7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
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7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDirect%20Debit%20System%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sept%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20with%20a%20subsidiary%20in%20the%20UK%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elaine%20Jones%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.