Mid-day break: Dh5,000 fine per worker

The UAE on Monday began enforcing a three-month summer ban on noon work for labourers at construction sites and other open locations.

The ban, which ends on September 15, is enforced between 12:30pm  and 3pm and is intended to prevent on-site accidents.

According to a circular by the labour ministry, work must not exceed eight hours a day and workers doing extra hours are entitled for additional pay.

Hundreds of thousands of workers in the construction sector and other outdoor work sites will benefit from the noon ban decision, which is enforced for the 11th successive year.

This decision does not include workers with technical jobs where they cannot stop working.

But the owners of these companies are obliged to provide them with cold drinking water, as well as other supplements which replace the fluids and body salts that they lose while working.

The companies must also provide them with cooling fans and shades to protect them from direct sunshine.

Companies which violates this decision will have to pay of fine of Dh5000 per worker and up to Dh50,000 for all workers.

Fines also includes writing reports of the violating companies, and forwarding them to the Minister of Labour to look into the violation and decide whether to suspend the company from work, or to lower its grade in specifications.

Abu Dhabi awareness campaign to educate workers about heat stress, midday work ban

The Abu Dhabi City Municipality has kick started a campaign targeting workers to educate them about heat stress and the law restricting the working hours during midday, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHAD), and the Ministry of Labour.

To this effect a workshop has been held under the theme: Heat Stress and Midday Work Ban, attracting the participation of 650 contractors and consultants.

The workshop was held in an effort to raise the awareness of those responsible for managing construction sites as well as environment, health and safety specialists, and urge them to play their roles in enforcing and monitoring the compliance with the decree, and providing the requirements that ensure the safety of workers and protecting them from being exposed to direct sunlight or heat exhaustion caused by the sweltering summer temperature and humidity.

The campaign replicates the incessant endeavours of the Abu Dhabi City Municipality to ensure better standard of living as well as sustainable environment for residents of Abu Dhabi city.

The Environment, Health and Safety Office at the Town Planning Sector, supported by the Department of Municipal Affairs; the regulator of the building and construction sector, and OSHAD, is keen on implementing the rules and standards of safety and occupational health in all construction sites as well as demolition and maintenance sites at world's best practices.

The municipality stated that enforcing the Decree of the Ministry of Labour banning midday work is in harmony with its strategy aimed at providing a safe working environment for workers at construction sites, and conforms to its mission of delivering quality and effective municipal services.

The Abu Dhabi City Municipality played a leading role in implementing this decree as the UAE initiative of banning midday work, which conforms to its humanitarian principles and values towards maintaining the safety and health of workers, has become an international model emulated by several countries in the region.

The implementation of the midday work ban has also noble humanitarian dimensions and is in line with the policies aimed at safeguarding human rights and continuously improving them besides providing all means of decent living and sustained and safe environment for all community members.

The municipality has launched an extensive educative campaign aimed at training and educating all those working at construction sites with the aim of broadening the scope of knowledge about the midday work ban in summer from 12.30pm to 3pm during the period from June 15 to September 15 every year at all outdoor work sites, and highlighting the importance of taking appropriate precautions to maintain the health and safety of workers.

The municipality has distributed educative brochures in five languages.

As regards procedures taken against violators of the midday work ban, the municipality stated that inspection teams would monitor construction sites on regular basis and serve first warning, and if construction companies or consultants continued abusing the ban, project operations might be suspended altogether pending the removal of the violation and validation of the implementation of the health and safety standards, including the adherence to the midday work ban in outdoor areas.

It should be noted that the Environment, Health and Safety Division has recently issued a new educational brochure to educate workers about the preventive measures to be taken when exposed to heat strain resulting from working under direct sunlight.

The brochure has been distributed across the municipal system in Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi City Municipality, Al Ain City Municipality and the Western Region Municipality.

The Municipality called upon workers to take proper steps immediately in the event of the onset of any of these symptoms, and not wait for all of them to take place.

In turn, the representative of the Ministry of Labor referred to the rights of workers with their employees provided for in federal laws and ministerial decisions.

The Municipality has called upon consultants and contractors to take all appropriate measures and provide all the requirements to mitigate the adverse effects of the heat strain as set forth in the decision of the Ministry of Labour.

These procedures include perfusion materials and salts approved by health authorities in the UAE, in addition to providing large quantities of drinking water in commensurate with the number of workers as well as providing appropriate cooling systems and sun shielding umbrellas.

The Municipality reminded all workers about the importance of adhering to healthy and preventive practices during work by avoiding direct exposure to sunlight and heat as much as possible.

Umbrellas, hats, jackets and helmets should be used and sun-cream should be applied in case of sensitive skin. Plenty of water should be drunk at frequent intervals, besides adding salt to the food and drinks when necessary, in addition to taking electrolyte instead of caffeine drinks.

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