Page 435 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

Organisation of the labour force, 1957-58 825
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together und tied In many placoo by rough Jute cord, If the
timbor io oraokod, as It normally la, It lo then treated with a
greater profuaIon of nailo. Conventional, manufactured type
1adder□ are aloo extremely rare, hut rough timber, nailed every­
where into the ahape required, la, practically opcaking. the
article known here ao a ladder. Protection of any sort againot
fulling of peraona from heighta ia unknown. Following
information recently of unaafo oonditiona at a building operation
for a new block of offioea for one of the MunicipalitieB, I
viaited the aite with my two inspectors, V/e found a two Btorey
building, tho flut roof of which wuo in the course of being laid.
Buildinge are nearly all of concroto blocko, the floors and roofs
being of reinforced oonocete. Tho building had been put up
(againBt instructions from tho Electricity Department) under four
power cables which ran over the building between two largo pylons
oome 230 yards apart. We found that the lower two cables v/ere
6 and 7 feet approximately above tho ulready completed section
of tho concrete roof. Until 2 or 3 days before our visit one
ouble was running about 3 feet above the roof and the men then
must have been ducking under it to do their work. Each cable
curried '11,000 volts! Rather viplont action followed tho visit.
The municipality refuoed to Btop building and the manager of the
Electricity Department thereupon cut the power off to the town
which was fed by the00 oableo. Tho town ia tho third largest
in Bahrain. It was only after 3 dayo and 2 nighto without light,
f power, eleotrio fane, refrigerators, radios und every other
electrical convenience that the municipality v/orc brought to their
senses, tho building work stopped und the building sealed off,
und power was onoe more switched on. I give this illustration
to show that danger to life is on the whole not taken very
seriously, It ulso happened to be tho first triumph of safety
over madneBs yet experienced. It will ulso be appreciated that
it v/u8 achieved by direct rudical action rather than by any
process of law.
Such oonditiona us I have briefly described in tho building
und structural engineering field prompted mo reoontly to draft a
code of Regulations to cover safety and welfare in thio type of
work. After much discussion and amendment, the draft was com­
pleted on 30.5.60 und the text has been translated und forwarded
to the Commissioner of Lubour. Tho requirements cannot be
easily compared with those for oimilur work in the United
Kingdom, but I am confident that, if taken oeriously, they should
form tho basis for safe and healthy practice in thiB type of
industry here and result in vastly improved conditions.

So far I have made no mention of compensation, It is a
subject which ia giving me some concern, becuuso I have seen
occasionally the difficulties and complexities involved both to
those claiming compensation and to the employers who may suddenly
be called upon to meet a large claim. The Compensation Ordinance
sets out a scale of compensation payable according to tho severity
of the injury and aB to whether it has been certified aa temporary
or permanent. It also specifies certain industrial diseases
which, when certified by an appropriate medicul panel, are also
compensatablo* The diseases specified are unfortunately not
complete and will need additions. Qenerally speaking, however,
the greatest need, I think, io for some form of compulsory
insurance so that even in the ovont of the insolvency °f on
employer, his workers are still assured of fair compensation
where thBiro ia a Just and legal olaim. I hopo to work on thio
subject /
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