The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs has started implementing awareness campaigns, in preparation for the start of work with Ministerial Resolution No. (16) for the year 2007 to specify working hours in open places during the summer.
The decision stipulates that the working hours for work performed under the sun or in open workplaces be specified during the period from June 15 to August 31 of each year, so that they do not exceed five hours in the morning period
The decision stipulates that work is prohibited in the morning period after eleven thirty in the morning, while work begins in the afternoon starting three o'clock.
The decision obliges companies and institutions that have work sites under direct sunlight to set a schedule specifying the daily work hours in accordance with the provisions of this decision, and to place the schedule in a visible place that is easy for all workers to see, and that labour inspectors can observe during their inspection visits to the workplace.
In a statement, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs called on companies not to violate the provisions of the decision, noting that in the event of a violation a decision will be issued to suspend work on the project for a period not exceeding a month, and labour inspectors will conduct field visits to companies sites to ensure their compliance with the provisions of the decision, and take legal procedures towards any company that obliges its workers to work during the ban period.
The Ministry's labour inspection department published and distributed a guide (The Impact of Heat on Work Environment). The guide contains a number of procedures, directives and requirements that must be met in different workplaces, with the aim of protecting workers from the dangers of high temperatures, and to ensure that they work safely, without compromising the required productivity, in all sectors of the country, including construction, industry, agriculture, and services.
With the start of implementation of this decision, the labour inspection department will start implementing an expanded plan to monitor workers' conditions during the afternoon time to ensure that all companies are committed to not employing workers under direct sunlight during the ban period in accordance with specific regulations and laws.
The Ministry is keen that labour inspectors visit the various projects that take place in the country to follow up the companies 'implementation of all laws regulating workers' work at noon, and adhere to the occupational safety and health standards, while emphasizing the inspectors to observe the companies commitment to the specified working hours.
The Ministry affirmed the necessity of providing well-ventilated places of rest for workers equipped with air conditioning and provided refreshments and ice water during the break period during which they stop working from eleven and half in the morning until three o'clock in the evening.
The Ministry also called on companies and workers to adhere to the special precautions to prevent and combat the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The implementation of these measures comes from the States keenness to ensure the health and safety of workers in the work environment, taking into account the provision of work equipment with the best standards of occupational safety and health.
From this standpoint, many Qatari legislations were issued to keep pace with the development in the matter of protecting labour rights. (QNA)
