Site Mobilisation HSE Checklist (UAE)

Mobilisation is the only phase where you can still fix a compliance gap cheaply. Once the first concrete pour is booked, every missing approval becomes a programme risk. This checklist covers the items UAE authorities and clients ask for in the first inspection after site establishment. Aligned with ADOSH-SF v4.1, Dubai Municipality construction site requirements and Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 — not certified by any of them.

1. Authority and client notifications

• Site registered with the relevant authority (ADOSH-SF entity in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Municipality / Trakhees / free-zone authority in Dubai, municipality HSE in the northern emirates).
• Construction HSE plan submitted and approval reference recorded — keep the reference number, not just the document.
• Dubai Civil Defence notification where fire-critical works, temporary structures or hot works are planned.
• Client and consultant HSE induction and reporting protocol agreed in writing, including who is notified within what timeframe after an incident.
• MOHRE labour accommodation and midday-break obligations acknowledged in the site HSE plan.

2. Competence and appointments

• HSE Manager / Officer appointed in writing, with qualification certificates on file and the required officer-to-worker ratio met.
• First aiders appointed and certificates in date; names displayed at the clinic and each gate.
• Fire wardens, permit issuers, permit receivers, banksmen, riggers and lifting supervisors appointed in writing with third-party competence evidence.
• Emergency response team roster covering every shift, including night work.

3. Site establishment

• Perimeter hoarding complete, gates controlled, and pedestrian routes segregated from vehicle routes.
• Traffic management plan issued, with reversing areas, one-way loops and speed limits marked on the ground.
• Temporary power energised under certificate, 30 mA RCD protection on all socket circuits, boards locked and labelled.
• Welfare: drinking water at every work front, shaded rest areas, toilets at the required ratio, and a cool-down area sized for peak headcount.
• Signage in English and the languages of the workforce actually on site (typically Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Tagalog).

4. Emergency arrangements

• Emergency plan issued, muster points marked, and the first drill scheduled within 30 days of mobilisation.
• Fire points installed with extinguishers commissioned and tagged; fire water supply route confirmed with Civil Defence where applicable.
• Clinic or first aid room equipped, stocked and staffed for the shift pattern; ambulance route walked, not assumed.
• Emergency contact board at each gate with real, tested numbers.

5. Documents that must exist on day one

6. First-week verification walk

1. Walk the perimeter and confirm every gate matches the traffic plan.
2. Open two random distribution boards and check RCD test records.
3. Ask three workers, in their own language, where the muster point is.
4. Pull one permit at random and trace it back to the RAMS and the issuer's appointment letter.
5. Check the water points: temperature, quantity, and how often they are refilled.
6. Photograph and log every gap found, with an owner and a date, in the CAPA register.

Anything unresolved after the first week should be escalated to the project director in writing. Mobilisation gaps that survive the first month almost never close before handover.