Dubai Municipality is setting up its own laboratory to test building materials and products for fire resistance in order to improve fire safety in UAE buildings. It will be the first government facility of its kind in the UAE.
The civic body is in discussions with Dubai Civil Defence to finalise the establishment of the new laboratory, reported Gulf News, citing Mr Khalid Mohammad Sherif Al Awadi, Assistant Director-General for Health, Safety and Environment Control.
Once operational, the fire-testing lab, which will work under the Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL) of Dubai Municipality, will be used by the civil defence authorities in the country to test and certify fire resistance of building materials and fire safety products and systems, said Mr Amin Ahmad Mohammad, Director of DCL.
Mr Ali Ahmad Elian, head of Engineering Materials Laboratory Section at DCL, said the proposed lab’s building has been constructed and it is expected to be equipped for operations by the end of this year.
He said the authorities have so far been depending on some overseas laboratories and two private labs in Dubai. “We had very limited resources to do fire testing at DCL.”
He pointed out that the lab will facilitate the implementation of the updated fire safety code that is expected soon.
The fire safety code was revised following several fire accidents including the New Year Eve’s blaze at The Address Hotel last year. The updated code will stipulate strict and sustainable fire-resistant standards and requirements for building materials and the lab will help ensure that they are compliant.
A spate of fires in recent years in the UAE, including the Address incident, had large implications for underwriting risk for high-rise buildings. Following the huge Address Hotel fire claim, Mr Omer Elamin, Group President of Orient Insurance, convened a market meeting of all insurers in the UAE together with major reinsurers. The fires had raised concerns over the pricing of policies for buildings using cladding. Through this well-attended meeting, the industry was able to come to an agreement on the rating that will be used for such risks.