The implementation team of the Hazardous Materials Monitoring Programme in Abu Dhabi has completed the inventory and classification of hazardous materials. The team also checked the preventive and safety measures in the stores and taking the appropriate corrective measures.

 

The team was led by Brigadier Humaid Saeed Alefreet, Deputy Director of Security and Ports Affairs Sector at the General Command of Abu Dhabi Police and the membership of all concerned authorities in the emirate. 

 

It included more than 70 technicians and administrators representing ten entities and is considered one of the technical work teams which were formed within the Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team (AD-HMMT). This was part of Abu Dhabi’s government’s endeavour to impose strict control on hazardous materials and to provide the highest degree of protection for society and the environment.

 

Brigadier Alefreet said: “The team carried out field operation measures which lasted for three months under the pandemic circumstances, and the safety procedures were focused on storing hazardous materials in warehouses and other locations licensed by the concerned authorities. The team emphasised the need for facilities to adhere to the required requirements and the competence of workers in this sector. Some violations have been monitored and dealt with and the necessary corrective measures have been taken by the establishments directly.”

 

Brigadier Alefreet stressed the importance of managing hazardous materials effectively during their life cycle. This can be achieved by monitoring all dealers of these materials and checking and ensuring the extent of their compliance with health, prevention and public safety requirements. The compliance is when practicing any activity related to the handling of hazardous materials, including their use, transport and storage.

 

Engineer Shaikha Al Hosani, Executive Director of the Environmental Quality Sector at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), reviewed the main and

supportive role that the agency has played in the field. EAD has worked hard to monitor hazardous materials and facilitate follow-up and control procedures for field operations by recording the hazardous materials that have been monitored by all concerned government agencies in the Integrated Hazardous Materials Management System (IHMMS). 

 

The agencies include IHMMS, which assisted them to determine the extent of the facilities’ compliance with the procedures and requirements.

 

“At EAD we have focused on the facilities dealing with the activities restricted to it, the extent of their compliance with environmental standards and requirements, and the availability of the additional requirements that were identified by the work team,” Al

Hosani emphasised.

 

Mohamad Munif Al Mansoori, Executive Director of Industrial Development Bureau, said: “The department’s team, in cooperation with the team formed from all

relevant government agencies on the Abu Dhabi level took the required steps aimed at creating an inventory and monitoring hazardous materials and all those dealing with them to implement the programme. This is with the aim of providing appropriate protection for society and contribute towards raising the readiness of industrial and commercial facilities, in general for optimal handling of these materials in the case of emergencies.”

 

He pointed out: “The Industrial Development Bureau has recently issued the necessary circulars, which oblige the concerned industrial facilities to use the Integrated Hazardous Materials Management System, which is the cornerstone of tracking the movement of hazardous materials in the economic sector. The Bureau is concerned with this file and provides the required direction and guidance on the importance of using the system, in addition to carrying out joint field visits with a number of relevant local authorities.”

 

Dr Mohamed Salman Al Hammadi, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority Spokesperson, said: “The authority is proud to participate in the Abu

Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team, and is proud of what has been achieved over the past year. It is the result of joint work among all government agencies to improve health standards, the safety of the environment and to ensure the well-being and happiness of all residents.”

 

He pointed out that the relevant work teams at the authority, who work within the Implementation Team of the Hazardous Materials Monitoring Programme in Abu Dhabi, will register the facilities operating in the field of handling agricultural pesticides and chemical fertilisers within the Integrated Hazardous Materials Management System.

 

Furthermore, the authority will work on intensifying field visits to these facilities with the aim of verifying data recorded in the system of the hazardous materials handled in the facilities.

 

He added: “The authority is intensifying awareness campaigns on best practices for handling and storing pesticides and chemical fertilisers and methods of dealing with these materials that pose a high risk to living organisms or the environment. We are also concerned with the safety measures for workers in this field, and we work in coordination with our partners within the Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team to achieve higher safety rates for humans and the environment. We also collaborate on the application of preventive requirements in dealing with this type of hazardous material.”

 

Eng Abdulmohsin Mubarak Alkatheeri, Acting Projects & Facilities Department Director from Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center said: “At Tadweer, we are pleased to work with all strategic partners to manage hazardous materials in the emirate in a compact and integrated manner. This is in line with the centre’s strategic objectives aimed at providing a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment for all. In addition, we ensure that these materials are managed in accordance with the best international practices followed in this regard, starting from the stage of use and transportation of hazardous materials, passing through proper storage mechanisms, and ending with their safe disposal. Moreover, we review the capabilities of workers in this field and determine their readiness to deal with these materials and assess the risks and negative impacts that may result from them. We continue to emphasise the need for full compliance with standards and procedures related to health, safety, environmental protection and the society of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

 

Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Team in the emirate emphasised the need for owners of facilities and individuals, who own farms and economic activities, to commit to storing hazardous materials in warehouses and sites authorised and licensed by the concerned authorities, and to follow relevant instructions and requirements, in order to avoid violations, fines and legal procedures.-- Tradearabia News Service