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28 March 2024

Cooking banned in some Sharjah labour camps

Cooking banned in some Sharjah labour camps. (EB FILE)

Published
By VM Sathish

Cooking has been banned in some labour camps in Sharjah as part of a campaign to improve fire safety measures.
 
Hundreds of labourers living in camps next to a Sharjah factory have been told to stop cooking and look for alternatives.
 
“We are facing a tough time as cooking has been banned in our camps. This is to prevent recurrence of fire-related accidents, but the ban has affected our budgets,” said an Asian worker affected by the ban.
 
The factory stores highly inflammable chemicals and the ban is part of measures to improve safety around such high-risk areas. The ban also comes in the wake of fires during summer months in Sharjah.
 
Company sources said the ban on cooking is part of fire-safety measures from the Sharjah civil defence and workers can rely on a nearby canteen.
 
“Big labour camps have the mess system where cooking is relatively safe. In smaller camps, workers tend to overlook many safety measures of using gas cylinders,” said the manager of a labour camp leasing company in Dubai.
 
However, workers said the ban is not realistic and a big drain on their monthly budget.
 
Following fires at factories, warehouses and residential premises, Dubai Municipality too has started a campaign to educate workers about the safe use of gas cylinders.
 
Emirates Gas, leading supplier of LPG cylinders in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, is also running a safety campaign in collaboration with the Public Health and Safety Department of Dubai Municipality, to raise awareness about safety procedures in handling, storage and usage of LPG cylinders.
 
The two-week long campaign targeted business establishments like restaurants, cafeterias and hotels in Dubai.
 
Hesham Ali Mustafa, General Manager, Emirates Gas, said: “Safety first is the motto at Emirates Gas. LPG is one of the most popular fuels used for cooking but it can be very hazardous if not used safely. We believe that educating our customers is vital to reduce incidence of fires and accidents.”
 
Sultan Al Suwaidi, Head of the public safety section at the Health and Public Safety Department, Dubai Municipality, said: “Gas distribution companies, restaurants, cafeterias, public kitchens and bakeries were targeted [by the drive] to stop misuse of gas cylinders to prevent leakages and explosions.”
 
Emirates Gas regularly trains distributors and their employees in safe distribution, transportation and storage of LPG cylinders.