Bahrain will ban outdoor work during the afternoon in July and August.
The ban on work under direct sunlight and in open places will run from midday until 4 pm, the Ministry of Labour said.
The aim is to protect workers and ensure their safety from heat stress, sunstroke and various summer diseases, and to reduce occupational accidents during the hottest months of the year, the ministry added.
The Labour Ministry has embarked on an awareness-raising campaign, urging everyone to comply with the provisions of the edict. It also distributed brochures, multilingual leaflets and posts that include instructions and information on the impact of high temperatures on workers’ safety and health while performing their duties. It also informed private sector institutions’ health and safety supervisors about the requirements to protect workers from summer-related diseases and occupational accidents.
In a statement, Labour Minister, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, affirmed that Bahrain is a leader in ensuring secure and safe work environment for workers, out of its keenness on their safety and health at various production sites, noting that the implementation of outdoor afternoon work ban is the best means to achieve that goal.
He called on private institutions to step up their efforts to raise workers’ awareness about summer diseases, highlight the risks of overworking under summer heat, provide health care and first aid, as well as find ways to reduce exposure to heat and humidity.
The minister praised the private sector companies’ compliance with the ban over the past years, which, he said, proves the employers’ commitment to ensuring a safe and decent work environment for employees, pledging zero-tolerance against violators.
The minister stressed that work at the existing projects will not be affected by the ban and that they will be completed at the specified times, especially as companies should reschedule the work timings during the ban, Humaidan said.
Under Article (192) of Law 36 of 2012 promulgating the Labour Law in the Private Sector, a jail term not exceeding three months, and/or a BD500-BD1000 fine, is the penalty inflicted on violators.
Source: Bahrain News Agency