UAE Authority Safety Circulars and Regulations 2024–2026

Reviewed on 5 November 2026. This guide covers dated safety circulars, regulations and enforcement codes issued by UAE authorities other than Dubai Municipality between 2024 and 2026. It complements our earlier authority review and the Dubai 2026 Safety Guide page. Apply each item only within the issuing authority’s jurisdiction.

Dubai Development Authority (DDA): construction circulars

DDA regulates planning and construction within its jurisdiction. Its dated circulars set concrete site requirements:

• Circular 611 (9 January 2025, effective immediately): every DDA site keeps an up-to-date risk mitigation plan, reviewed monthly or more often as conditions change, with detailed risk evaluations before new phases or significant changes.
• Circular 604 (16 August 2024): DDA’s HSE Officer Approval and Registration service was discontinued. Main contractors appoint dedicated full-time safety officers under their sponsorship; the project consultant assesses competence and issues written approval or rejection. Both keep records for inspection.
• Circular 614 (14 March 2025): lifting-equipment inspection and personnel-certification bodies must be EIAC-accredited for the relevant scope, with maintenance records.
• Circular 629 (6 August 2025): relevant formwork/masonry support needs consultant approval, engineer-stamped documents, risk assessments and inspections; work cannot start without explicit written approval.
• Circular 636 (17 October 2025): immediate telephone notification of specified serious incidents, a Site Accident Report within 1 working day and an investigation report within 5 working days.
• Circular 656 (16 March 2026): scaffolding certificates for slab-casting inspections need EIAC accreditation, a secure QR code and traceability data, with a maximum one-week validity from inspection.
• Circular 667 (19 May 2026): fire controls during construction, alteration and demolition — updated fire-risk assessments, hot-work and temporary-electrical permits, controlled flammable storage, extinguishers and clear escape routes. It reinforces the UAE Fire Code; it is not a new code edition.
• Circular 686 (14 October 2026, effective 19 October 2026): consultants and contractors are jointly and independently responsible for reviewing and closing site-visit observations through the Zoning Portal within set timeframes.

Circular 643 (9 December 2025) reinforces fall prevention, and Circular 624 (16 June 2025) was a 2025 seasonal heat-stress reminder, not a permanent new rule.

1. DDA Circular 611: Mandatory HSE and Risk Assessment
2. DDA Circular 604: HSE Officer Approval and Registration
3. DDA Circular 614: Lifting Equipment and Operations
4. DDA Circular 629: Formwork and Masonry Block Support
5. DDA Circular 636: Site Accident Reporting
6. DDA Circular 656: Scaffolding Inspection Certificates
7. DDA Circular 667: Construction Fire and Life Safety
8. DDA Circular 686: Construction Compliance Site Visit System
9. DDA Circular 643: Prevention of Falls
10. DDA Circular 624: Summer OSH Measures

PCFC/Trakhees: industrial operations and targeted circulars

IO-4.0 Occupational Health & Safety (PCFC-TRK-EHS-IO-REG-04, Rev. 02, June 2026) is a revision for Trakhees Freezone Industrial Operations. Without a change log, individual clauses cannot be called new.

Circular 29/2026 (25 August 2026) sets forklift controls for covered PCFC industrial facilities — pedestrian/vehicle segregation, 360-degree cameras, proximity alerts, blue/red warning lights, daily inspections and accredited operator training — with a 1 January 2027 conformity deadline. Do not apply it to every UAE construction site.

Circular 21/2025 requires relevant Al Hamriya Port parties to hold an annually renewed EHSS Operational Fitness Certificate. Circular 7/2024 covered the 8–10 March 2024 adverse-weather event only.

CS-4.0 Construction Safety Regulations (Rev. 02) remain publicly dated November 2018. The October 2026 “Construction Safety Manual” listing is the Dubai Municipality guide, not a CS-4.0 amendment.

1. PCFC IO-4.0 Occupational Health and Safety
2. Unconfirmed source

   PCFC Circular 29/2026: Forklift Safety

   PCFC's website refused our review request (access denied), so this document was not read during the review.

3. Unconfirmed source

   PCFC Circular 21/2025: Al Hamriya Compliance

   PCFC's website refused our review request (access denied), so this document was not read during the review.

4. PCFC Circular 7/2024: Adverse Weather
5. PCFC CS-4.0 Construction Safety Regulations
6. Unconfirmed source

   PCFC Construction Safety Rules Index

   PCFC's website refused our review request (access denied), so this document was not read during the review.

Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA): fit-out controls

GL-DHCA-ENG-01 Engineering Fit-Out Guidelines V1.0, effective 2 January 2026, require Masaar contractor registration, valid permits/PTW, pre-work, weekly and final inspections, and corrective-action approval before resumption. Three violations in one registration cycle can lead to one-year blacklisting. The Signage Customer Guideline V1.0 (effective 24 August 2026) adds a signage approval route.

1. DHCA Engineering Fit-Out Guidelines V1.0
2. DHCA Signage Customer Guideline V1.0
3. DHCR Health and Safety Community Guidelines

Abu Dhabi: Qudorat, CoP 53.1 and municipality circulars

ADOSH-SF Mechanism 7.0 V4.0 (register effective 7 April 2026) covers risk-based registration of OSH practitioners and service providers through TAMM. It does not require every worker or safety employee to register individually.

CoP 53.1 OSH Construction Management Plan V4.0 (effective 15 July 2024) remains the mandatory construction-plan baseline; its amendments are editorial. Abu Dhabi City Municipality Circular 001/2024 requires permits and approved laboratory testing before dewatering discharge, and its 2026 approved inspection-body list supports provider scope checks.

1. ADPHC ADOSH-SF Mechanisms Register
2. ADOSH-SF CoP 53.1 Construction Management Plan V4.0
3. ADM Circular 001/2024: Dewatering Requirements
4. ADM Approved Inspection Bodies 2026

Sharjah: workers’ accommodation and high-rise buildings

SPSA OSHJ-CoP-25 Workers Accommodation (V2 Rev. 0) became a Code of Practice on 26 June 2024, with a risk register and checklist covering risk reviews, emergency exercises, fire-system checks, AMAN integration and welfare. OSHJ-GL-11 High-Rise Building Safety (V1 Rev. 0, 15 January 2025) is a new guideline for building owners and managers. The statutory baseline remains Executive Council Resolutions 15 and 26 of 2021.

1. SPSA OSHJ-CoP-25 Workers Accommodation
2. SPSA OSHJ-GL-11 High-Rise Building Safety
3. SPSA OSHJ-GG-01 General Guideline
4. SPSA AMAN Information

Ras Al Khaimah and RAKEZ: building rules and fines

RAK Municipality Resolution 7/2026 Building Conditions and Specifications Regulations (published 4 June 2026) and Structural Regulations RAKR-S-2025 (third issue, December 2025) are building/design rules, not worker-facing HSE codes.

RAKEZ HSE-VC01 Construction Violation Code for Contractors and Consultants (Issue 01, 27 August 2026) lists fines for missing NOCs/permits, unsafe lifting, work at height, excavation, scaffolding and other failures. Typical first fines are AED 2,000–5,000 and repeats AED 5,000–10,000 or suspension, with higher amounts for specified serious events. DEV-GU01 (staged development NOCs, including above-6 m and above-24 m gates) and HSE-GU09 (lifting/high-risk supplier NOCs) support it; the detailed RAKEZ construction regulation remains the 2023 First Edition.

1. RAK Resolution 7/2026: Building Regulations
2. RAK Structural Regulations RAKR-S-2025
3. RAKEZ HSE-VC01 Construction Violation Code
4. RAKEZ DEV-GU01 Development Permits and NOCs
5. RAKEZ HSE-GU09 Lifting and High-Risk Suppliers
6. RAKEZ HS&E Construction Regulation 2023

Federal MoHRE: female-employee safety and labour accommodation

Administrative Decree 10/2026 adds Article 6 bis to the 2023 OSH Procedures Manual: after qualifying notification, relevant employers carry out an individual pregnancy/breastfeeding risk assessment within five working days, review it periodically and provide suitable PPE, safer conditions or alternative duties without loss of salary or rights.

Ministerial Resolution 122/2026 (18 February 2026) updates labour accommodation for establishments with 50 or more workers on contractual wages not exceeding AED 1,500, covering accessibility, maintenance, ventilation, multilingual OSH information and drinking water. The midday break remains 12:30–15:00, 15 June–15 September, under Resolution 44/2022.

1. Unconfirmed source

   MoHRE Administrative Decree 10/2026

   MoHRE's website gave no response from our review location, so this document was not read during the review.

2. Unconfirmed source

   MoHRE Ministerial Resolution 122/2026

   MoHRE's website gave no response from our review location, so this document was not read during the review.

3. Unconfirmed source

   MoHRE Ministerial Resolution 44/2022 and Amendments

   MoHRE's website gave no response from our review location, so this document was not read during the review.

4. Unconfirmed source

   MoHRE 2026 Heat-Stress Prevention Announcement

   MoHRE's website gave no response from our review location, so this document was not read during the review.

Federal Civil Defence: institutions and industrial gas

The latest publicly verified UAE Fire and Life Safety Code remains September 2018. Federal Decree-Law 35/2024 and Decree-Law 8/2025 (effective 1 January 2026, establishing the Federal Authority for Ambulance and Civil Defense) change institutions, not the technical fire code. Cabinet Resolution 15/2026 (effective 1 April 2026) is a new industrial-gas-facility safety regulation, including qualifying free-zone facilities.

1. Unconfirmed source

   Dubai Civil Defence UAE Fire Code Page

   Dubai Civil Defence's website gave no response from our review location, so this page was not read during the review.

2. Unconfirmed source

   Federal Decree-Law 35/2024

   The federal legislation portal refused our review request (access denied), so this text was not read during the review.

3. Unconfirmed source

   Federal Decree-Law 8/2025

   The federal legislation portal refused our review request (access denied), so this text was not read during the review.

4. Unconfirmed source

   Cabinet Resolution 15/2026: Industrial-Gas Safety

   The federal legislation portal refused our review request (access denied), so this text was not read during the review.

Ajman, free zones and authorities without a verified update

Ajman Municipality announced a Building Compliance Package on 8 July 2025, but its legal instrument and site duties were not publicly verified. No dated 2024–2026 construction safety revision was found for DIEZ, DMCC, Dubai South (Basic HSSE Issue 1, 2017), UAQ/UAQFTZ (2015 rules), Ajman Free Zone, Fujairah Municipality or Fujairah Free Zone. These are publication limits, not proof that no requirement exists.

1. WAM: Ajman Building Compliance Package Launch
2. Unconfirmed source

   Ajman Environmental and Safety Certificate Service

   Ajman Municipality's website gave no response from our review location, so this service page was not read during the review.

3. DIEZ ESG Report 2024–2025
4. DMCC Sustainability Report 2024
5. Dubai South Basic HSSE Requirements
6. UAQFTZ Rules and Regulations March 2015
7. UAE Government Buildings’ Safety
8. Ajman Free Zone Rules and Regulations
9. Unconfirmed source

   Fujairah Municipality Circulars

   Fujairah Municipality's website gave no response from our review location, so this listing was not read during the review.

10. Fujairah Free Zone Authority