Sharjah ropes in cartoon figures to promote child safety

Students from different schools attend the workshop related to the security and safety rules at Helwan Children Center in Sharjah - Photo by M. Sajjad

Sharjah - Salama and Hamoud would help children learn how to protect themselves from danger.

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By Afkar Abdullah

Published: Mon 23 Jul 2018, 4:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 24 Jul 2018, 9:36 AM

The Sharjah prevention and Safety Authority (SPSA) has roped in two cartoon characters to intensify its awareness programme to prevent children from falling to death.
Sheikh Saif Mohammed Al Qassimi, director of the SPSA, said that the cartoon characters Salama and Hamoud would help children learn how to protect themselves from danger in a fun and entertaining manner.
He added that as Salama and Hamoud characters are very much loved by children, "we decided to use it to encourage them learn preventive measures".
Al Qasimi said Salama and Hamoud can promote safety initiatives not just among children but also among various age groups as the two cartoon characters are quite popular in the community.
Sheikh Khalid Bbin Saqr Al Qasimi, chairman of the SPSA, said that the SPSA is continuing to promote the culture of safety among children, public and building owners.
The SPSA has recently inspected 455 buildings, which include 17,652 flats in seven areas including Al Batinah, Al Tawoun, Al Majaz, Al Nabah, Al Shahba, Al Qasimiyah and Industrial 6, to ensure safety for the tenants. The inspection also includes educating the residents and owners of the building about safety rules in residential buildings.
He added that SPSA carried out 12 awareness programmes and workshops aimed targeting 1,300 members of the community, in addition to launching five awareness campaigns, which reached out to around 2 million individuals to reduce potential accidents and prevent hazards.
SPSA seeks to reach a safe and risk-free society through the promotion of a culture of community-based prevention and the application of the highest standards of safety being adopted worldwide to ensure the protection of society and the safety of life and property.
He urged building owners, consultants, and contractors, to take all preventive measures in order to ensure the safety of workers in the sites.

Role of inspectors

Lamea Al Noman, director of support services department at the SPSA, urged building and homeowners to install smoke detectors and ensure fire extinguisher and other facilities are subject to periodic maintenance.
Al Noman added that the role of the inspectors is to carry out awareness campaigns on residential buildings and several workshops have been carried out throughout the year.
Abdul Rahma Al Shuhail, director of inspection section at the SPSA, added that the inspectors need to ensure that residential buildings are equipped with emergency exits, lighting emergency signs, and that there are no obstructions in the exits.
He said that the inspectors are also bound to check the safety of elevators in residential buildings.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

Afkar Abdullah

Published: Mon 23 Jul 2018, 4:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 24 Jul 2018, 9:36 AM

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