ADOSH-SF Code of Practice CoP 8.0 - General Workplace Amenities

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Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and
Health System Framework
(ADOSH-SF)
Code of Practice
CoP 8.0 - General Workplace Amenities
Version 4.0
July 2024

ADOSH-SF – Codes of Practice - CoP 8.0 – General Workplace Amenities
Version 4.0 – 15 th July 2024
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Training and Competency .......................................................................................................................... 4
3. Requirements ................................................................................................................................................. 5
3.1 Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................................................. 5
3.2 Housekeeping ........................................................................................................................................ 5
3.3 Aisles and Passageways .................................................................................................................... 6
3.4 Floor Loading and Shelf Loading Protection .............................................................................. 6
3.5 Fixed Stairs ............................................................................................................................................. 6
3.6 Windows, Skylights, Ventilators and Transparent or Translucent Doors......................... 7
3.7 Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)................................................................... 7
3.8 Lighting..................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.9 Room Dimensions and Space............................................................................................................ 8
3.10 Drinking Water (Potable Water) ....................................................................................................... 9
3.11 Sanitary Conveniences (Bathrooms).............................................................................................. 9
3.12 Washing Facilities ................................................................................................................................. 9
4. References..................................................................................................................................................... 11
5. Document Amendment Record .............................................................................................................. 12

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1. Introduction
(a) This Code of Practice (CoP) applies to all employers within the Emirate of Abu
Dhabi. This CoP is designed to incorporate requirements set by UAE and Abu Dhabi
regulatory authorities. If requirements of this document conflict with requirements
set by another regulatory authority, employers are required to follow the more
stringent requirement.

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2. Training and Competency
(a) Employers shall ensure that OSH training complies with the requirements of:
(i)
ADOSH-SF – Element 5 – Training, Awareness and Competency;
(ii)
ADOSH-SF – Mechanism 7.0 – Occupational Safety and Health Practitioner and
Service Provider Registration.
(b) Employers shall train their employees on:
(i) common hazards in the workplace;
(ii) requirements set by the employer to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses;
and
(iii) housekeeping and general amenity requirements. (e.g. trash disposal, cleaning
workspaces, preventing chemical exposures, etc.).

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3. Requirements
3.1 Roles and Responsibilities
3.1.1 Employers
(a) Employers shall undertake their roles and responsibilities in accordance with the
general requirements of
ADOSH-SF – Element 1 – Roles, Responsibilities and Self-
Regulation Section 3.2.5.
(b) Employers shall set minimum requirements for general worksite conditions that at a
minimum comply with the Administrative Decision No. (19) of 2023 Regarding
Guidelines for Occupational Health and Safety Procedures, issued by the Ministry of
Human Resources and Emiratization in implementation of Federal Law No. 33 of 2021
Regarding the Regulation of Labor Relations. Requirements and control measures set
by the employer shall focus on ensuring workplaces are free from recognizable
hazards.
(c) To ensure requirements are followed, the employer shall develop a system to
routinely inspect the worksite in accordance with
ADOSH-SF – Element 8 – Audit and
Inspection.
(d) Employers shall ensure the general welfare of employees is met. This includes
ensuring, as required, employees have access to:
(i) prayer room / mosque;
(ii) appropriate facilities for eating;
(iii) clean and sanitary bathrooms; and
(iv) changing rooms.
3.1.2 Employees
(a) Employees shall undertake their roles and responsibilities in accordance with the
general requirements of
ADOSH-SF – Element 1 – Roles, Responsibilities and Self-
Regulation Section 3.2.7.
(b) Employees shall follow procedures set by the employer to keep the worksite free from
safety and health hazards.
3.2 Housekeeping
(a) All places of employment including, passageways, storerooms, and service rooms shall
be kept clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition.
(b) The floor of every workroom shall be maintained in a clean and, so far as reasonably
practicable, dry condition. Where wet processes are used, drainage shall be
maintained and false floors, platforms, mats, or other dry standing places shall be
provided where reasonably practicable.
(c) Workspaces shall be free from biological and chemical hazards. Where biological and
chemical hazards exist as a necessary part of operational processes employers shall

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ensure a risk assessment has been performed and appropriate control measures have
been implemented.
(d) Bathrooms shall be cleaned and serviced regularly, depending on use, to maintain a
clean and sanitary environment.
(e) Workspaces shall be free from excessive storage of paper, materials, and trash that
could cause health issues, create fire hazards, or promote infestations of rodents and
pests.
(f) If rodent and pest infestation is suspected, employers shall hire a licensed
exterminator to evaluate the worksite and take appropriate actions.
3.3 Aisles and Passageways
(a) Where mechanical handling equipment is used, appropriate safe clearances shall be
allowed for aisles, at loading docks, through doorways, and wherever turns or
passages shall be made. Aisles and passageways shall be kept clear and in good repair,
with no obstruction across them that could create a hazard.
(b) Aisles and passageways shall be wide enough to allow emergency egress. The
minimum width shall not be less than 90cm.
(c) Covers and/or guardrails shall be provided to protect employees from the hazards of
holes in floors, open pits, tanks, vats, ditches, etc.
(d) Every wall opening that has a drop that could cause an injury shall be guarded by a
rail, roller, fence, half door, or equivalent barrier.
(e) Where aisles and passageways are at a height where employees could walk or work
below them, toe boards shall be provided to prevent tools and equipment from falling.
Toe boards shall be a minimum of 15 cm in height.
3.4 Floor Loading and Shelf Loading Protection
(a) Every building or other structure, or part thereof, used for mercantile, business,
industrial, or storage purposes shall have the approved loading capacity identified in
a visible location.
3.5 Fixed Stairs
(a) Fixed stairs shall be provided for access from one structure level to another where
operations necessitate regular travel between levels and for access to operating
platforms at any equipment which requires attention routinely during operations.
(b) Fixed stairs shall have a fixed railing of an appropriate height for people to use when
ascending or descending stairs.
(c) Fixed stairs that have openings on one or both sides shall be guarded by a railing
system consisting of a top rail and mid rail.
(d) Fixed stairs shall also be provided where access to elevations is required daily or at
each shift and where::

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(i) reading gauges, inspection, regular maintenance, or other work which may
expose employees to hazardous materials; or
(ii) carrying of tools or equipment by hand is normally required.
3.6 Windows, Skylights, Ventilators and Transparent or Translucent Doors
(a) Every window or other transparent or translucent surface in a wall or partition and
every transparent or translucent surface in a door or gate shall, where necessary for
reasons of health or safety, be made of safety material or be protected against
breakage. For transparent or translucent doors and windows that are larger than two
meters in height and one meter in width, they shall be appropriately marked or
incorporate features to make it apparent that it is not a passage way.
(b) No window, skylight or ventilator shall be capable of being opened, closed or adjusted
in a manner which exposes any person performing such operation to a risk to health
or safety.
(c) No window, skylight or ventilator shall be in a position when open which is to expose
any person in the workplace to a risk to health or safety.
(d) If a skylight is located on a walking/working surface, or on a roof where someone could
walk (eg. flat roof or low slope roof), the skylight shall be guarded by a standard
skylight screen or a fixed standard railing on all exposed sides.
(e) All windows and skylights in a workplace shall be of a design or be so constructed that
they may be cleaned safely.
3.7 Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
(a) HVAC systems shall be designed for the specific use intended and all outdoor air and
recirculated air is filtered to remove contaminants.
(b) Employers or building owners shall ensure HVAC systems are serviced regularly, to
include replacing filters according to manufacturer’s specifications.
(c) During work hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be
reasonable. If temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius, employers shall implement a
heat stress program as required by
ADOSH-SF – CoP 11.0 – Safety in the Heat.
(d) Fresh air intakes for HVAC systems shall be located in a place that shall not pull in
environmental contaminates such as vehicle exhaust, noxious fumes, unpleasant
smells, or chemical contaminants.
(e) An evaluation shall be completed at the worksite to determine the amount of outdoor
air that shall be mixed with recirculation of filtered air for HVAC systems. At a
minimum, HVAC systems shall be designed to allow for 15 cubic feet per minute (CFM)
of outdoor air to be mixed with the recirculation of filtered air. For areas where
contaminants, such as people smoking, degrade the quality of recirculated air, a
minimum of 20 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of outdoor air shall be mixed with the
recirculation of filtered air.

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(f) An evaluation shall be completed at the worksite to determine the amount of air
changes per hour that is required for HVAC systems. At a minimum, the following air
changes per hour shall be set for HVAC systems:
(i) office / general work area = 4-6 air changes per hour;
(ii) meeting rooms = 7-10 air changes per hour;
(iii) commercial kitchens = 20-60 air changes per hour;
(iv) public bathrooms = 6 air changes per hour;
(v) laboratories = 6 - 12 air changes per hour;
(vi) gas and/or chemical /industrial process = 10 air changes per hour; and
(vii) garages = 6-10 air changes per hour.
3.8 Lighting
(a) Workplaces shall be lighted to a minimum of the following illumination intensities:
(i) offices, general work areas, first aid stations, and medical treatment centers =
30 Foot-Candles;
(ii) bathrooms, dining halls, mechanical and electrical equipment rooms, carpenter
shops, and general construction plant and shops (eg. batch plants, screening
plants, and active store rooms) = 10 Foot-Candles;
(iii) access ways, storage areas, warehouses, refueling, maintenance areas, and
loading platforms = 5 Foot-Candles; and
(iv) general construction sites, concrete placement, excavation, tunnels, shafts, and
underground work areas = 5 Foot-Candles.
Note: One Foot-Candle ≈ 10.764 lux.
3.9 Room Dimensions and Space
(a) Employers shall perform a risk assessment to determine the amount of space needed
for a work area to ensure safe access and egress and appropriate room to perform
tasks safely.
(b) Workplaces shall have a minimum of 10m 3 per person and a minimum ceiling height of
2.5 meters.
(c) Work areas that include a desk and chair shall have a clearance of 90cm from behind
the desk to any obstruction. If there is a walkway behind the person working, or other
work being completed, than the space behind the desk shall be a minimum of 1 meter
to the nearest obstruction.
(d) Appropriate space is required to enable storage facilities such as filing cabinets,
cupboards and bookcases to be used without excessive bending or twisting.
Appropriate storage facilities shall be provided so that heavy and frequently used
items can be stored between the employee’s standing knee and shoulder height. A
minimum clearance of 1.2 m is recommended.

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3.10 Drinking Water (Potable Water)
(a) Employers shall provide an appropriate supply of drinking water for all persons at work
in the workplace.
(b) Every supply of drinking water shall be readily accessible at appropriate places and
conspicuously marked with an appropriate sign where necessary.
(c) Where a supply of drinking water is required, there shall also be provided an
appropriate number of appropriate cups or other drinking vessels unless the supply of
drinking water is in a jet form which the person can drink easily.
(d) Drinking water dispenser shall be cleaned on a daily basis.
(e) Common / shared drinking cups, water bottles, or other such devices are not allowed.
3.11 Sanitary Conveniences (Bathrooms)
(a) Appropriate sanitary conveniences shall be provided at readily accessible places and
designed in accordance to the International Building Codes of the Emirate of Abu
Dhabi (issued by the authorities regulating the building and construction sector).
(b) Sanitary conveniences shall:
(i) be well ventilated and lit;
(ii) be kept in a clean and orderly condition;
(iii) be well maintained and operational;
(iv) have floors made of a non-slip surface;
(v) have at least one facility for the physically handicapped; and
(vi) have separate rooms for men and women and a door which is capable of being
secured from the inside.
(c) Portable sanitary facilities shall be provided for temporary workplaces and
construction workplaces. Facilities shall include toilet facilities and hand washing
facilities and the facilities shall be cleaned on a regular basis to maintain a sanitary
condition. Public toilet and washing facilities shall only be used as a last resort and if
they are convenient to the worksite.
3.12 Washing Facilities
(a) Appropriate washing facilities, including showers if required by the nature of the work
or for health reasons, shall be provided at readily accessible places.
(b) Washing facilities shall:
(i) be provided in the immediate vicinity of every sanitary convenience,
whether or not provided elsewhere as well;
(ii) include a supply of clean hot and cold water (which shall be running as far as
reasonably practicable);
(iii) include soap and towels or other appropriate means of drying;

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(iv) be ventilated and well lit;
(v) have floors made of a non-slip surface;
(vi) be kept in a clean and orderly condition; and
(vii) be well maintained and operational.
(c) Shower facilities shall:
(i) have separate facilities and changing rooms for men and women;
(ii) include a supply of clean hot and cold water;
(iii) include soap or other appropriate means of cleaning;
(iv) include clean towels or other appropriate means of drying;
(v) be ventilated and well lit;
(vi) be kept in a clean and orderly condition; and
(vii) be well maintained and operational.

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4. References
•
UK HSE INDG 293 Guidance for Employers on Welfare Provisions
•
UK HSE CIS No. 59 Provision of Welfare Facilities During Construction Work

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5. Document Amendment Record
Version Revision Date Description of Amendment Page/s Affected
4.0
15 th July 2024
System acronym updated from OSHAD-SF
to ADOSH-SF to accurately reflect
document title
Throughout
Change from OSHAD to ADPHC
Change of Logo
Minor editorial changes throughout the
document without changing requirements.
Title of Mechanism 7.0 updated to ADOSH-
SF – Mechanism 7– Public and Preventive
Health Practitioner and Service Provider
Accreditation 4
OSHAD-SF - Mechanism 8.0 - OSH
Practitioner Registration deleted
Clause 3.1.1(b) amended and previous
clause 3.1.1(c) deleted, to align with
federal regulations issued by MOHRE
5

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