Al Ain Municipality appoints Atkins
Posted by BI-ME , Author: BI-ME staff
Posted: Thu January 7, 2010 6:10 pm

INTERNATIONAL. International design and engineering consultancy, Atkins, has signed a major contract with Al Ain Municipality for establishing an Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) department for the Building and Construction Sector in Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The official signing ceremony took place yesterday (7 January 2010) in Al Ain and was attended by HE Dr Matar Al Nuaimi, General Manager of the Al Ain Municipality, and Dr. Abdullatif Merii, Atkins Director, Abu Dhabi

The establishment of the Building and Construction Sector EHS Department seeks to ensure effective EHS Management Systems (EHSMS) are implemented on construction sites within the eastern regions of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain by 2012.

The key objectives for this project include safer work places, healthy working environments, minimising pollution waste and delivering sustainable lifestyle and development.

Atkins’ scope on the project involves the recruitment and training of inspectors and other support staff according to training and Emiratization program set by the municipality, the establishment of an IT system for registration and reporting, and the development of an enforcement strategy under the supervision of the Municipality.

Atkins’ Project Director Dr Abdullatif Merii commended the Municipality for their holistic approach saying, “This is a landmark project for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

Al Ain Municipality has taken the bold step to lead the way in assisting contractors and others to develop construction site management systems that will safeguard people and the environment – this new authority will quite simply save lives.” He also commended on the professionalism that the Municipality displayed through out all phases of the project from announcing the tender to the execution.

"The application of the EHSMS will raise the awareness of environmental aspects that stem from construction activities, ultimately improving man's situation within the environment without upsetting it,” he concludes.

This Sector department will have a direct link with Abu Dhabi Municipality (ADM) and the Western Region Municipality (WRM).

The joint initiative with Atkins is very much in line with the Municipality goal of encouraging the establishment of strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors to improve ‘efficiency and accountability towards progress’.

General Manager of Al Ain Municipality, HE Dr Matar Al Nuaimi commented “This phase of the project will ensure the full implementation of the system which adheres to the decision of HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Board - no. (42) for the year 2009 on the system of environmental management and health and safety, which refers to the role of the Department of Municipal Affairs as the regulator for the Emirate. It also reflects the project as one of the most basic components of the political agenda of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, it is also a top priority for the Environmental Agency’s strategy which was adopted by the Executive Board for the period from 2008-2012 AD.”

Research recently carried out by UAE University indicated that about two-thirds of occupational-injury admissions at AI Ain Hospital in 2008 involved accidents common to construction workers. Most of the injuries were caused by falls or falling objects both of which could be minimised through enforcement, education and precaution, experts said. Elias McGrath, the group administrator of BuildSafe UAE, said that although the government has passed laws to protect labourers, better enforcement was needed.

By the year 2020, it is anticipated that there will be an EHS culture that delivers these goals as a part of normal life in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.


Engineer Rowda Al Saadi – Infrastructure & service coordination division manager "The fundamental goal of the environmental management system, is to ensure healthy and safe working conditions in the construction sector in Al Ain and the development of an effective administrative system for environmental, health and safety regulations and to help the sector entities in Al Ain to develop their own systems in this area, in cooperation with the municipality of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and under the umbrella of the Department of Municipal Affairs.

Al Ain Municipality has completed the first stage of the project which includes the development of this system, which is the first in the Emirate, particularly in the construction sector as well as the development of the internal system of Al Ain Municipality, through:

• Analysis of gaps, for all the various environmental, health and safety aspects of the building and construction sector in the Emirate, and to determine the appropriate validity, effectiveness, efficiency, and the strengths and weaknesses of counter measures and to achieve the aspirations of the Abu Dhabi government, both in the short and long term, up until 2030.

• Study the requirements of the new legislative framework, and determine the additional legislative requirements.

• Development of the first unified system of environmental management and health and safety particularly in the building and construction sector in the Emirate, with the development of new practices which incorporate the best international practices.

• Explore the best global information systems which deal with environmental management, health and safety, and working at the sector level in order to ensure standardization of the system between municipalities.

• Providing a business portfolio to implement the system which includes: (1) breakdown of the organization, (2) cost-benefit analysis, (3) timetables for implementation, (4) key performance indicators for the implementation of the new system.”


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