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28 March 2024

Abu Dhabi moves to end fatal child falls: No high-rise window to open more than 10cms

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By Staff

The Municipal Affairs Department in Abu Dhabi has issued a resolution No 24 of 2012 to protect children from falling off windows and balconies of buildings.

The municipality has also decided that all residential apartments should install resistance locks so that the windows cannot open more than 10cms.

The decision stipulates that all owners and contractors of the residential buildings will have to provide appropriate and adopted specifications for all windows and doors leading to balconies in apartments to prevent fall of children and persons with disabilities.

The move is aimed at safety of residents, particularly protection of children from falling from buildings.

The department will coordinate with the General Directorate of Civil Defence in Abu Dhabi and the Child Protection Centre at the headquarters of Abu Dhabi Police to implement the resolution.

Children should not open windows more than 10cms without the help of an adult.

All the material should be installed and supplied by a competent company to ensure the quality of these items.

These items should carry labels of the authorised manufacturers. Besides, the supplier company should give the owner a certificate showing that the items were installed according to the applicable standards.

The owners of buildings would have to implement the new criteria within a six-month period from date of the issuance of the decision.

The municipality will inspect houses to make sure that new regulations are being implemented.

According to the resolution, a tenant can lodge a complaint with the concerned authorities if the owner doesn’t respond to his request and implement the new criteria.

A person can complain to the concerned authorities, if windows have been installed incorrectly or if they are opening more than 10cms.

Locks and protective measures must also be in place for windows and openings that are less than 1.5 metres in height from the apartment floor.

The move follows a spate of falls from high-rise buildings in 2011 and early 2012 that led to the death of a number of children across the country.