New regulations for heavy building machinery and cranes mean all contractors and building companies must acquire a municipality-backed safety certificate before work can begin.

The law, already in place, requires building and demolition companies to present "technical testing certificates of their equipment" provided by third-party inspectors before a licence can be issued for the machinery.

"These procedures ensure a high degree of safety and establish the actual worthiness and optimal use of equipment," said Salah Al Sarraj, the acting executive director of town planning at the municipality.

The authority developed the regulations with the Abu Dhabi Police.

These rules will help avoid equipment accidents such as the one that caused major traffic congestion on Hamdan Street in July. A crane collapsed, with more than 25 safety offences, including defective equipment and inadequate supervision, being blamed.

The new regulations will also require companies to regularly test their equipment and perform routine maintenance. If a crane defect is found by municipal inspectors, the owner will be fined.

Penalties will be doubled if a second offence is registered with the municipality.

The authority will also order all equipment operators to receive some qualification training.