QCC Urges Window Fixture Manufacturers and Suppliers to Ensure Conformity with Relevant Technical Standards and Specifications

To stop Incidents related to safety of Windows and Balconies of High Rise Buildings

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 31 October 2015 – Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council has urged manufacturers and suppliers of window safety products and devices in the emirate to apply for conformity certification that will allow them to carry QCC’s Trust Mark.

The Council has also urged residents of high rise buildings and towers to take necessary precautions including the installation of approved safety fixtures on all windows in a bid to prevent fatal accidents.

QCC also revealed that it has been contacted by concerned authorities in other emirates for details on its Windows Safety Fixture Certification Scheme launched three years ago.

In response, the Council has shared precautionary measures included in the scheme for balconies and windows. The move comes amid a spate of recent fatalities involving children.

QCC’s call articulates its ongoing safety campaign that seeks to improve the quality of life in Abu Dhabi. The initiative includes an awareness drive on the safety of windows and balconies in residential buildings, highlighting the measures and technical specifications outlined by QCC’s conformity scheme under which manufacturers and suppliers of safety fixtures and fall prevention devices installed on all windows and doors leading to the exterior are required to comply with a set of technical specifications.

Mohammed Helal Al Balooshi, Marketing & Communications Acting Director at Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), said: “Window safety fixture certification scheme is part of a comprehensive child safety scheme launched by QCC featuring precautionary measures and product conformity schemes including the Children's Toys Certification Scheme, Baby Care Products Certification Scheme and Children's Indoor and Outdoor Play Equipment Certification Scheme.

Al Balooshi added: “QCC is ready to share its expertise in the area of children safety with all stakeholders in the country. We are already in contact with relevant authorities in other emirates to discuss with them areas of cooperation and extend the benefits of windows safety fixture certification scheme to all residential buildings in the country. We are confident that through such measures, we can achieve the target of zero child fatality resulting from high-raise falling in the UAE.”

The Window Safety Fixture Certification Scheme was issued by QCC in late 2012 in collaboration with the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) and the General Directorate of Civil Defence Abu Dhabi (ADCD). Following the announcement of the scheme, DMA issued a decree requiring landlords to install window fall prevention devices on all windows and doors leading to the exterior in all existing and new residential buildings.

The Window Safety Fixture Certification Scheme requires that the device be mounted at a height not less than 1500 mm above the floor, does not permit the passage of a 100 mm diameter rigid sphere at any point, can be operated without the use of a key and is free of any sharp projections or edges.

The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council was established in 2009 to raise the quality of the emirate’s exports and locally traded products, while protecting the interests of consumers and supporting the UAE’s competitive economy. This is achieved through empowering regulators to establish and implement product safety, legal metrology and conformity schemes. QCC also sets guidelines and benchmarks to identify and verify that the products manufactured and traded in Abu Dhabi conform to the highest quality standards.