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The Abu Dhabi municipality, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and the Abu Dhabi Environment, Health and Safety Centre, has announced that it has intensified its inspection and monitoring campaigns at construction sites as part of its implementation of the ban on work during the midday.
At a workshop that was attended by more than 500 consultants, contractors and developers, the municipality launched a comprehensive educative program that helped explain the midday ban.
The workshop also raised awareness of proper health standards and procedures, highlighting the need to provide a safe environment for workers, particularly those operating in open spaces.
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Salah Awad Al Sarraj, acting executive director of Town Planning sector, Municipality of Abu Dhabi, said that the Ministry of Labour’s implementation of the ban was part of the overall strategy to provide Abu Dhabi with work safe construction sites.
He added the decision reflected the attention public entities paid to applying the “highest human and health standards capable of providing the required protection for employees working in areas prone to direct sunlight.”
Offenders of the law banning midday work at construction sites faced strict measures, with repeat offenders facing the ‘total ceasing of project operations’, Abdul Aziz Zurub, director of Health, Safety and Environment, Municipality of Abu Dhabi, said.
“Inspection teams will keep construction sites under constant surveillance and serve offenders with first notices. Should contractors or consultants continue to flout the said law, strict measures, which might be as tough as total ceasing of the project operations, will be taken until such a time all reasons of the offences are removed and it is verified that health and safety standards, including the compliance with the law banning work at noon at open places, are properly addressed,” he said in a statement to the Emirates News Agency.
However, Major General Mohammed Ahmad Al Merri, director of the Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs in Dubai and the chairman of the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs, stressed that around 3,850 companies had adhered to the decision to have midday break rule. This was against last year’s figures, which saw 73 companies flout the rule.
As part of its preventive measures, the Abu Dhabi Municipality has called for the provision of protective shelters and rest areas for workers, drinking water, proper industrial cooling means and liquids and materials that help body perfusion, such as lemon, salt and other materials approved by health authorities. This is in addition to the mandatory practice of having first aid kits at all construction workplaces.
The ban on working during the midday extends from June 15, till September 15, starting from 12:30pm to 3:00pm at all open work places.
Dates for the rest of the GCC are:
Saudi Arabia 12pm – 3pm 1 July – 31 August
Oman 12.30pm – 3.30 1 June – 31 August
Kuwait 12pm – 4pm, 1 June – 31 August
Qatar 11.30am – 3.30pm, 15 June – 31 August
UAE 12.30pm – 3pm, 15 June – 15 September
Bahrain 12pm – 4pm, 15 June – 31 August
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