Dubai · Abu Dhabi · Sharjah · Northern Emirates
Construction sites in the UAE are governed federally by MOHRE under Federal Law No. 33 of 2021, and locally by the emirate's own authority: Dubai Municipality and Trakhees (PCFC) in Dubai, ADOSH-SF in Abu Dhabi, and each municipality in the Northern Emirates. Which one inspects your site depends on its location and free-zone status — this page maps each authority to what it enforces, with the matching printable checklist.
Last updated 9 September 2026
Most UAE sites answer to more than one authority at the same time — a federal labour duty, an emirate construction code and a fire or environmental regulator.
Dubai mainland construction sites
Code of Construction Safety Practice — site set-up, hoarding and public protection, excavation and shoring, scaffolding and access, welfare facilities, and the HSE officer competency ratios expected on a Dubai site.
Dubai Municipality construction checklistFire and life safety, Dubai
UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice — hot work permits and fire watch, means of escape during construction, temporary fire points, impairment notices and fire-system handover evidence.
Fire precautions and hot work checklistDubai free zones — Jebel Ali, Palm, Dubai Maritime City and similar
Trakhees EHS requirements run alongside Dubai Municipality rules inside free-zone jurisdictions: contractor registration, EHS officer approval, permit regimes and inspection non-conformance close-out.
Trakhees EHS inspection checklistAll emirates
Ministerial rules on the summer midday break (15 June – 15 September), labour accommodation standards, worker welfare, and the employer duties in Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and its executive regulations.
MOHRE midday break checklistAbu Dhabi emirate
The Abu Dhabi OSH System Framework sets entity registration, OSH management system elements, mandatory codes of practice and reporting duties for construction entities operating in Abu Dhabi.
ADOSH-SF compliance walk checklistAbu Dhabi (EAD) and municipal environment teams
Dust, noise, dewatering discharge, waste transfer and hazardous material controls — the environmental permit conditions inspectors ask to see evidence for.
Environmental controls checklistStart with the ADOSH-SF compliance walk checklist and the Abu Dhabi emirate hub — they cover entity registration, codes of practice and the evidence inspectors ask for.
Whatever the emirate, an inspection normally starts with the same paperwork: an approved MSRA, the matching permit, competency records and the completed checklist for the activity.
Dubai sites work to the Dubai Municipality Code of Construction Safety Practice (2026 edition), the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice enforced by Dubai Civil Defence, and federal MOHRE rules on working hours, the summer midday break and labour accommodation. Free-zone plots follow Trakhees EHS requirements instead of the municipality's.
MOHRE's midday break bans work in direct sunlight and in open areas between 12:30 and 15:00 from 15 June to 15 September each year. Sites must display the schedule, provide shaded rest areas with cool drinking water, and keep records of the arrangements.
No. Abu Dhabi applies ADOSH-SF (formerly OSHAD), a registered OSH management system framework with its own codes of practice. Dubai applies municipality and Civil Defence codes. Federal MOHRE labour and welfare duties apply in both emirates.
An approved method statement and risk assessment (MSRA/RAMS) for the activity in progress, the matching permit to work, competency and training records for the crew, statutory inspection records for plant and lifting gear, and evidence of welfare and midday-break arrangements.
Authorities and main contractors require a documented risk assessment and safe system of work for high-risk activity, and in practice that is submitted as an MSRA or RAMS pack approved before work starts. The MSRA guide sets out the structure UAE reviewers expect.
This page is general guidance for UAE construction teams and is not legal advice. Always work to the current published text of the relevant authority and your project's own approved requirements.
قوانين السلامة في مواقع البناء
qawaneen al-salamah fi mawaqi al-bina — construction site safety regulations
الاستراحة النصفية (حظر العمل وقت الظهيرة)
al-istiraha al-nisfiyya — MOHRE midday break
الدفاع المدني — السلامة من الحريق
al-difaa al-madani, al-salamah min al-hareeq — Civil Defence fire safety
بلدية دبي — دليل ممارسات السلامة الإنشائية
baladiyat Dubai, daleel mumarasat al-salamah al-inshaiyya — Dubai Municipality construction safety code
We separate law, authority framework requirements, published codes and industry good practice, and link to the authority source so you can verify every statement yourself. This page is general guidance for UAE construction teams and is not legal advice.
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