Sharjah, Jun 24 (The National): Four men plunged six storeys to their deaths yesterday after a maintenance cradle they were working from collapsed.

Three of the men died at the scene outside Ansar Mall in Sharjah. A fourth man succumbed to his injuries later in intensive care in Kuwait Hospital.

The deaths of the workers, who were apparently not wearing safety harnesses, triggered calls for greater safety in the construction industry. The team was erecting an advertising banner for a new restaurant when the accident happened at around 3.30am.

Officials from the mall said the men worked for Al Reyami Signs and Advertising, and the company had authorisation from the municipality to erect the advertisement.

A witness, Walid Ahmed, working at Al Farrooj Restaurant at the time, said: “We heard a loud noise of people falling and then a silence, there were no cries, no calls for help.

“Four workers were lying on the ground in silence, only one was bleeding. It was clear they were dead,” he said, adding that the police arrived moments later.

Safety experts said it was unlikely the dead men could have been wearing “lifeline” safety harnesses. Brian Florance, the operations manager of Malt Techniques, which installs and manages cradles in Dubai, said: “In a normal cradle, they have two people and independent safety points. The cradle is attached to the structure and they are attached independently to the structure.”

The cradle was owned by Al Binaya Construction, but rented out to V8 Advertising, which had leased the equipment to Al Reyami.

Mohammed Salim, a manager of Al Binaya Construction, was among those questioned yesterday by the police.

He told The National: “In the first place, I rented the cradle to V8 Advertising and I don’t know about Al Reyami.

“After getting the cradle they have to call a safety company and inspect it as well as the place [it is to be used] and receive a safety certificate.”

He said he was “100 per cent sure” the cradle was in good condition.

Abdul Rashid Baloti, the operations manager at V8 Advertising, said he had worked only as a “middle man” between the construction company and Al Reyami, which had approached him seeking a cradle.

“I have nothing to do with the safety procedures,” he said. “Al Reyami is responsible for the safety of its workers.”

Al Reyami officials turned down a request to comment on the fatal fall, stating only that the deaths were being investigated by police.

Imad Jamal, the vice chairman of the Higher Technical Committee for the UAE Contractors Association, a nonprofit organisation that promotes safety in the construction industry, said there was “a lot” of room for safety improvement, especially among smaller operators.

“You have to categorise the practice and standards between the big companies versus the smaller contractors. They vary and differ from each other in so many ways,” he said.

Hamid al Mansouri, the general manager of Ansar Mall, said the workers had shown mall administrators their authorisation to put up the sign.

“I got a call at around 3.30am that there was an accident. I told my security officer to call police immediately, and by the time I arrived at the scene, police were already there,” he said.

Abdul Razak Bakar, the manager of Salkara Restaurant that commissioned the sign, said all the correct procedures had been followed.

He said: “We opened the restaurant just three days back and we needed a signpost to advertise our presence. We need everything to be done in the right way.”

Mr Florance said: “They might not have been aware of the weight of the signage.”

“That cradle could have been overloaded but there should be safety devices on the overload devices for the cradle. If it was overloaded, the cradle should not have worked.”

Jim Falchetto, the general manager of Traks Pro, which trains UAE companies in rope access safety, said that in the United States anybody working above two metres must be attached to an independent structure.

“They have to be attached to an independent lifeline. If the cradle goes, the guy will end up suspended in the air. A cradle would give him and the rescuers a fighting chance to get out of that position. Work-at-height accidents are preventable and the risk is manageable.”

Sharjah Municipality was unavailable to comment on its safety regulations or the deaths yesterday.