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portacabin protocoL

Blue-collar labourers get herded into shabby wooden cabins each evening to live precariously under the constant threat of fires. T A Ameerudheen finds out the reasons for the recurring portacabin infernos in the Sultanate.

Major causes of fire Electrical shortcircuit Fire from the kitchen Smoking inside the cabin

Maintenance Cables, distribution board, switches, air conditioners and generators Ensure adequate water supply in different parts of the camps Painting should occur once every two years
4/14/12 12:40:42 PM

Mandatory installed devices Smoke detectors Fire suspension system in the kitchen Fire safety equipment

Hai Magazine.ai

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or any expatriate, blue-collar labourer, the portacabin means everything. It is the place where he dreams of a bright future, thinks about his kith and kin thousands of miles away, shares his sorrows with his roomie whom he might have met a few a months ago. For him, this is the perfect home away from home. But portacabins have been in the news every now and then, sadly for wrong reasons, thanks to the recurring fire incidents. A cursory look at the newspaper columns or a simple google search reveals the enormity of the situation. There were almost a dozen fire mishaps reported during the last three months, but a majority of them went unreported. Several lost their lives, while those fortunate to escape the inferno had to live the rest of their lives with hapless memories of the incident. Hi Weekly caught up with an Indian labourer who escaped a mishap last week in Ghala by the skin of his teeth. One of our colleague noticed a fire in the kitchen cabin. The camp that housed 350 workers was reduced to ashes in just five minutes. Fortunately no lives were lost. The company officials hushed up the issue and we were shifted to another camp. After

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the incident, I could not sleep properly. It has taken a toll on my health, says Balakrishna, working with a road construction company. His colleague Mohammed Alam from Bangladesh shares the same worries. A short circuit from the air conditioner caused the fire. We were lucky to escape, but our company didnt give us any compensation. From the very next day, it was business as usual for us from the next day, he said. Both of them found fault with the portacabin, which, they said, was very old. We had four beds in our cabin. The wooden structure had an air conditioner, a table, and a chair. The walls were made up of plywood. When we first moved into the camp, it looked like new. But later we realised that our company got it second hand. There was no fire fighting equipment in our camp. By the time the fire fighting team arrived at the scene, the fire devoured our camp, they recalled.

Blame game Experts feel it is easy to get away by putting the blame on the old portacabins alone. They think it is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the blame should be put squarely on the companies who

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reducing the risk

R K Nair Sales Manager Al Hajiry Trading LLC We manufacture around 210 steel portacabins that comply with the PDO safety regulations every month. We do not compromise on safety. So none of our cabins have gutted so far. Moreover, we are committed to maintaining the cabins made from our stable. The authorities should bring in quality checks that will ensure 0% fire accidents in the labour camps.

We are living in an old portacabin fitted with very old air conditioners. Employers are not all concerned about our safety. If something happens, we have to fend for ourselves. We are worried about our future
R a jesh Expat labourer

KP Mahesh Senior Manger (Sales and Marketing) Alassar Electric LLC As the competition grows in the market, some of the cabin manufacturing companies opt for available cheapest electrical materials to increase their margin. They should be given guidelines to use quality products that reduce the chances of fire outbreaks. These companies should utilise the services of qualified professionals while installing the electrical devices in the cabins.

buy the cabins with out checking the safety standards. Major cabin manufacturers consider the specifications laid out by the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) as the benchmark as the oil bellwether never compromises on safety and it awards the manufacturing contracts to the companies who comply with their standards. PDO installs most of these steel cabins in their oil drilling sites. Moreover, it lays stress on the quality of the walls, thickness of the flooring, wiring materials, switches, earth leakage circuit breakers (ELCB) and distribution boards (DB). Each of the cabins are fitted with an air conditioner, lights, bed, mattress, blanket, table, chair and an attached bathroom. According to the current market rates, a wooden cabin that meets the PDO specification is available for Omani Riyal 3,800 while the steel structure can be bought for RO 7,000. It is million dollar business. So companies use in aggressive marketing strategies to sell their products. Some of them even indulge in price wars to get more business, but they compromise on the quality, says R K Nair, sales manager, Al Hajiry Trading, adding These companies lure customers (firms that need portacabins) with tempting price offers. But they use sub-standard products and it results in disasters. Except major companies, nobody bothers about the safety aspect. They deliver low-rate cabins that are available for as low as RO 2000 (wooden) and RO 5000 (steel), he says. Wooden cabins are more prone to be gutted as they are made up of plywood and thermocol. Though thermocol is a fire retardant, it is not capable of mitigating major fires, observes Sunil Kumar, manager

(portacabin), Al-Thail Trading and Contracting. Ill-equipped kitchens are another major source of blazes. Even a spark from a cigerette can turn out to be fatal. Ninety per cent of the labour camps do not have firefighting equipment. The average gap between cabins is just one metre, which results in easy spreading of fire, he says pointing out that short-circuits cause a majority of the accidents in Oman. Electrical equipment According to experts, use of genuine electrical equipment that protect installations from overload and short-circuit can reduce risks. Use of genuine electrical goods can reduce the risk of accidents. Most of the cabin manufacturers, except the PDO accredited firms, employ people with a little or no experience in electrical engineering. Most of them are ignorant about the load to be distributed and the quality of the cable to used, says KP Mahesh, senior manger (sales and marketing), Alassar Electric. Selection of distribution boards and switchgear are also very important. The stress has to be on the characteristic selection of switchgear to suit the appliances inside the cabin. Load sharing at the distribution board is another major concern, often made haphazard by unskilled workers, he says. Even in fully-equipped cabins, labourers tend to tamper with the electrical connections. Sometimes, they extend the connection for rice cookers, water heaters and iron boxes which cause overheating of the cable. Since these things are very common in camp sites, the technicians should use cables accordingly, he adds.

Old cabins for sale! The rampant sale of used portacabins is aggravating the situation. When Hi Weekly contacted some of the resellers, they promised to deliver the cabins at reasonable rates. The cabin can accommodate 250 people and we got it from a reputed firm. Its just 10 years old. We can give it for RO 1,000 per cabin. Thats the best price I can offer, was a resellers offer. Asked about the switches and other safety measures, he replied: It is in working perfect working condition. We painted it recently. It looks great! Resellers get the old portacabins at cheap rates. All they do is to repaint it to give it a good look, says R K Nair. However, Mahesh says reselling is serious issue, pointing out that The old cabins must have used to the maximum. The new buyers wont check the switchgear and the distribution boards before using it. It can cause switch gear burst, thanks to its inability to withstand the load, he adds. Many think that creating safety awareness among the labourers, who stay at the camps, can bring in a lot of changes. Each and every cabin should be equipped with smoke detectors and fire suspension systems in the kitchen. The presence of a trained fireman, and the availability of fire-fighting equipment can also make a difference. The fire suspension system cools down the premises if the temperature goes above 180 degree Celsius, they say. Following the PDO specifications is the best way out. Something has to be done at the earliest. Otherwise we will continue to hear about portacabn disasters in future too, says RK Nair.