The heat is on

Gerhard Hope.

For me, summer is finally here when I leave an air-conditioned building and my glasses fog up instantly from the temperature differential. So it is that time of the year again when UAE residents bemoan the unrelenting heat of the desert climate. The al fresco lifestyle of outdoor cafés and casual strolls is curtailed by the need to remain indoors.

Of course, air-conditioning is so pervasive that one can largely ignore the searing conditions outside. Indeed, energy-efficiency experts argue that the preferred set-point temperature in the UAE is too low by international standards. Raising it by a couple of degrees would have a knock-on effect on cooling load, power generation, sustainability and carbon footprint.

It seems as if many long-term UAE residents have become so spoilt by being perpetually cool all the time that they are no longer used to any degree of heat. An example of voluntary thermal shock is stepping from the frigid interior of a Dubai Metro station into the blast-furnace level of heat outside.

For

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the thousands of workers involved in the construction industry, together with other general labourers who by the nature of their employment have to be outside for most of their working day, the advent of summer means the most trying and potentially dangerous time of the year for them.

Once again the media has been reporting on the timings of the summer midday work ban throughout the region, with some medical experts arguing this should be implemented as soon as the temperature begins to climb, rather than be relegated to a fixed seasonal period that is too rigid and does not account for any kind of fluctuations.

Once again, the respective labour ministries have been trotting out statistics about the penalties to be imposed on any companies that flout the ban (and, once again, there will be those who ignore both common sense and the law). Last year there were 3,017 cases of heat-related illness, according to the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD).

This may be a small percentage of the total number of workers, but it is still too high a figure. Heat stress and heat exhaustion is a very real and prevalent threat in summer, and everyone involved in the construction industry should be aware of the dangers – as well as how to handle the heat on a daily basis, and also what to do in the event of an emergency.

HAAD’s yearly ‘Safety in the Heat’ campaign has been instrumental in reducing the incidence of heat-related illness on Saadiyat Island, for example, from 500 cases in 2008 to nine in 2009.

HAAD has also completed a Code of Practice that could become mandatory for the entire construction industry. What is interesting about the Code is that it applies formulae for work and energy to derive at a scientific benchmark for heat-related illness.

At the end of the day, the onus is on companies themselves to acknowledge their responsibility towards their greatest asset, their workers.

It is imperative they ensure that workers are properly hydrated and rested during the summer period, and that the midday work ban is strictly adhered to.
 

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