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Red Crescent helps victims of accidents at work sites

ABU DHABI - The Red Crescent Society (RCS) of the UAE has started providing assistance to the workers severely injured at work sites as well as to the families of workers who died while on duty, according to a top official of the society.

Dr Saleh Al Taai, Secretary-General of the UAE RCS, told Khaleej Times yesterday: "The assistance to the injured workers includes medical check-ups and treatments, even if they wish to get treated in their respective countries.

"We also provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased workers and help in the repatriation of their bodies to their home countries."

The move coincides with an awareness campaign being jointly organised by the Red Crescent and the Ministry of Labour (MoL) in the Abu Dhabi city since the start of the mid-day break rule in July and August.

"The workers' safety is our top priority," said Dr Taai, pointing out that the labourers' health and lives are more important than the projects they are working on.

"Our teams check the workers for diseases such as diabetes and blood pressure twice a week and recommend that the workers with such diseases should not do heavy work at the sites," added Dr Taai.

Senior officials from the ministry visited Al Daar Properties Company's worksite in the capital yesterday, and held an awareness session for more than 500 workers.

The officials informed the workers about the dangers of the hot sun and their right to have rest during the mid-day break in July and August according to the ministerial decision.

MoL inspections

Mohsen Saeed Al Nessi, Director of the Inspection Department in the MoL office in the capital, said nearly 60 inspectors visited 13,629 companies in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Gharbia, and Delma from July 1 to July 22.

The visits were not only for inspections, but also included delivering lectures to educate workers, foremen, supervisors, and health and safety engineers on the ministerial decision on the mid-day rest periods.

The MoL officials distributed brochures among workers in seven languages which also contained information about the ways and means to avoid heat exhaustion and sun strokes in the hottest months of July and August.

75 firms fined

According to the ministry, 75 companies were found violating the mid-day break rule. "We found 37 firms in Abu Dhabi, 30 in Al Ain, six in Al Gharbia and two in Delma violating the rule," Al Nessi said. He added that the companies had violated the ministerial decision for the first time. "Hence, they were fined Dh10,000, their status lowered to 'C' category for three months and all their new visa applications would be blocked," he said.