Saudi should adopt midday work ban too says expert

Saudi workers would benefit from a midday work ban in summer too, says expert.

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A leading UAE health and safety expert has suggested Saudi Arabia adopt a midday work ban over the summer months, similar to the one the UAE adopted four years ago.

Aju Sharfuddin, Corporate HSE Manager and World Safety Organisation UAE Chapter President said that the midday work ban had been a tremendous success since it was introduced in 2006, and that Saudi Arabia could adopt a similar programme to help protect its workforce from the brunt of the sizzling summer sun.

“Saudi Arabia has a lot of construction projects as part of their developments, especially infrastructure projects which are totally exposed to direct sunlight, therefore a summer mid day work ban will be a grace to all personnel on such projects.

“The Saudi summer is one of the worst in the GCC, and a midday work ban would be a great move for worker safety.”

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FEATURED COMMENT We obviously believe this recommendation must be enforced very soon as right now the climatic condition is worst and pe   1 Comments Read more comments »

“Almost all key projects in Saudi are flagship projects too; so top management must consider the Health & Safety aspects of personnel deployed in such projects.

“If authorities implemented a summer midday work ban this year in Saudi Arabia, it will be an optimistic move. As an Environmental, Health & Safety professional I strongly recommend this move in Saudi Arabia,” he said

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Labour announced that the UAE summer midday work ban would be extended by a month – starting in June 15 and running until September 15.

Under the UAE law, labourers working outside must down tools between 12.30pm and 3pm, while those working on projects exempt from the ban must be provided with enough cold water, lemon, salt and healthy salads between those times. With day time temperatues well in to the 40s during the summer months, and sea temperatures reaching the late 30s, the UAE introduced the summer midday working ban in 2006 to protect labourers from the fierce heat. According to the law, workers must also leave the worksite during the workban hours, unless they are staff required to remain on site for safety reasons.