Dubai ConstructionSafety science firm UL participated in a panel discussion with contractors, consultants and property developers on recent amendments to the UAE fire and life safety code
A series of fires in Dubai’s high rise buildings over the last few years have raised questions about building safety standards in the tourism and business hub of the Middle East, prompting authorities to step up building safety regulations.
“One of the biggest concerns for the construction industry in the Middle East is cladding. If the exterior cladding contributes to the spreading of the flame, the risk of secondary fires spreading to different levels of a building becomes much higher,” Jonathan Gonzalez, regional technical lead, building & life safety technologies at UL, Middle East, said.
The firm and the participants discussed the amendments made to the code, and specifically the chapter on quality standards for building facades.
The code, which was amended in 2017, now has a greater focus on third-party certification for building materials and will come into force in the upcoming months.
UL helps building materials makers in the UAE to meet the new testing, certification and inspection standards.
