EQUIPMENT
Intermat Middle East
61
january-february 2014
international
construction
It is just one big construction site.”
But while there are opportunities
in the region, it is also a
competitive market. Hidromek
export manager Anil Bingol said
the company came up against a lot
of price sensitivity for machines like
backhoe loaders.
“Even our basic machine has a
high specification compared to
some competitors. They have 4x4
drive, automatic transmissions and
luxury cabs. In some markets that
works, because customers think
about efficiency and getting jobs
done quickly,” he said.
Nevertheless, the company is
expanding its dealer network to
take advantage of high-growth
construction markets. Mr Bingol
said, “Now we are doing things in
Qatar and we are starting in Saudi
Arabia. We have a presence in the
UAE, but the market is shaky,
which makes it more competitive.”
Improving safety
Meanwhile a series of conference
sessions during the exhibition
looked issues in the local industry.
One session focused on a new
mandatory registration scheme
for demolition contractors in the
municipality of Abu Dhabi, which
is to say just the city of the emirate
which is the capital of UAE.
According to Walid Ramadan,
an engineer at the Abu Dhabi
Municipality, the scheme was
introduced following a crane tip-
over in 2011 (although fortunatley
no one was injured).
“We have announced that any
company with a trade licence
mentioning demolition activities
cannot operate unless they are
registered with us. To register they
have to have a safety management
system,” said Mr Ramadan, adding
that to date 67 companies had
joined the mandatory register.
The registration requirement
for contractors covers eight broad
areas. They must complete a
prequalification form, list the
heavy equipment they own
along with operator licences and
qualifications, be accredited to ISO
14001 environmental management
standards, be registered with a
waste centre, provide a copy of
a corporate health, safety and
environment plan, produce
a generic risk assessment for
demolition work, provide their
company licence and a full list of
names & contact details for their
senior management.
This last measure is because, as
Mr Ramadan put it, “We believe
top management should take
responsibility.”
Although these changes are
significant in a previously loosely
regulated industry, Mr Ramadan
described them as a minimum
standard. “Our requirements are
as low as is reasonably practicable,
but there is now ceiling for what
companies can do,” he said.
However, he also said that the
legal changes had already led to
new, safer demolition practices
being introduced, such as the use of
high-reach demolition excavators.
“We now have three companies
using these new demolition
techniques,” he said.
Working at height
An improving culture of safety and
the influence of western contractors
are leading to more training courses
and Powered Access Licence (PAL
card) accreditation, according to
Jason Woods, the International
Powered Access Federation (IPAF)
representative in the UAE.
Speaking at the exhibition, Mr
Woods said, “In the early days
people didn’t want to know. The
people running the sites didn’t
understand the benefits of safety.
It’s better now, but it is taking
time.”
However, Mr Woods said that
local attitudes are changing and
the influx of international into the
region to take on major projects is
proving a positive influence. “There
are a lot of Westerners that are
safety managers and they bring that
with them,” he said, adding, “We
are seeing the number of PAL cards
going up.”
According to Mr Woods, there is
further traction outside the UAE,
in other regional hotspots. “Qatar is
very fast growing and the standards
are similar to the UAE. I have four
training centres wanting to come
on board in Qatar. There are a lot
of Western contractors there and a
lot of Westerner safety managers,”
he said.
Mr Woods also said that other
industries were warming to the
concept of operator training and
the PAL card. “Another area were
hitting is oil & gas, and that is by
far the biggest industry out here,”
he said.
iC
UAE Minister of Public Works
His Excellency Dr Abdullah
Belhaif Al-Nuaimi at the
opening of the exhibition.
Hidromek said
it was having
success in the
Middle Eastern
excavator
market.
IPAF representative in the UAE,
Jason Woods.
Eng. Walid Ramadan of Abu
Dhabi’s municipal authority,
speaking about legal changes for
demolition contractors.
