Health Safety Security Review Middle East conducted a quick Q & A with Abhishek Chhabra, business development, Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants
What do you think are the most significant changes in the updated UAE Fire and Life Safety Code?
A new chapter on roles and responsibilities as well an amendment in Decree 505 with Decree 213 which gives more power to the government than previously
How does the updated code impact the responsibilities of the various stakeholders?
Each stakeholder, from the designer of infrastructure right up to a resident using the infrastructure, has a defined responsibility. If required, the government can use the code and the laws of the country to penalise the stakeholders
How can fire risk be mitigated in a project from end to end?
The tools to fire compliance are clearer now than in the past. When stakeholders realise their liabilities, they will undertake their scope with greater care and invest in better compliance. This, in turn, will increase end-to-end fire safety
How important is fire testing and certification in raising fire safety standards?
It is at the heart of fire compliance. It provides the tools to quantify behaviour of material and systems in fire. It also provides the instruments used to communicate claims and define responsibilities and hence liabilities.
Abhishek Chhabra will be speaking on ‘Compliance with the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code; what the stakeholders need to care about’ at the 3rd Annual Health, Safety & Security Forum taking place in Dubai from 8-9 October. www.hse-forum.com.
