Oman: Poor wiring is main cause of fire in Sultanate

Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Nov 2015

Poor electrical wiring in both private and commercial buildings is the major cause of fire in Oman, costing owners millions of rials in repairs a year, according to safety experts.

Mr Hamed Al Hilali, a retired health, safety and environment (HSE) expert, who is also a consultant and a damage estimator for insurance companies, estimated that fire causes more than OMR14 million (US$36.4 million) in damages every year, reported Times of Oman.

HSE experts said the blame should be levelled on contractors who do not follow safety standards because they want to cut down the costs.

“The biggest culprits are contractors who want to save money. They don’t use the right rating of cables and wires because it is expensive to follow specifications in the blueprint. They want to save money and do the wiring as cheaply as possible. As a result, it costs owners millions of rials to repair their buildings due to wiring negligence,” said Mr Al Hilali.

The Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) recently confirmed that there has been 188 more cases of fire in various parts of the Sultanate this year compared to last year’s, 1,763 cases.

OMR1 = US$2.60

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