GUTERRES REITERATES ‘UN PREMISES ARE INVIOLABLE’Dubai Municipality launches safety campaign for construction sites across Emirate

The following is a satement by UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, on Gaza: 'I am deeply shocked that two UNRWA schools were struck in less than 24 hours in Gaza. Dozens of people - many women and children - were killed and injured as they were seeking safety in United Nations premises. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians are seeking shelter at United Nations facilities throughout Gaza due to the intensified fighting. I reaffirm that our premises are inviolable. This war is having a staggering and unacceptable number of civilian casualties, including women and children, every day. This must stop. I reiterate my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. I also want to express my deep appreciation for all the mediation efforts led by the government of Qatar. Source: National news agency - Lebanon Dubai Municipality has announced the launch of a robust safety campaign to enhance compliance with safety standards and create a safer working environment at construction sites across the Emirate. The campaign also targets all engineers, consultants, supervisors, workers, and contracting and engineering consulting companies in Dubai. The campaign aims to safeguard individuals working at construction sites, reduce the number of accidents, dangers, and injuries, and improve adherence to safety regulations and norms to ensure a secure working environment. Dubai Municipality's efforts support the organisation's ambitious objectives of creating an innovative, sustainable, and cutting-edge construction sector in Dubai. Dubai Municipality stated that it had adopted numerous measures to ensure and achieve the highest safety standards, following the guidelines highlighted in the 'Code of Construction Safety Practice'. Most notable among these are the implementation of 35,672 field surveillance visits on around 14, 858 construction sites during this year. The Municipality conducted a fake evacuation activity in the Wasl area as part of the campaign, which simulated a hypothetical situation that might occur on a construction site. The overarching goal of this fake eviction was to determine the speed, efficiency and potential of official and internal authorities in swiftly responding to these instances. In addition to conducting worker medical examinations, Dubai Municipality also carried out several awareness seminars, lectures, and workshops under the 'Safety Tent Activity' in Jebel Ali and Muhaisnah, which was launched as part of the campaign activities. This aimed at enhancing awareness among construction site workers about security and safety requirements. Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM)