Summer work ban begins on July 1

TDT | Manama

Beginning July 1, a twomonth ban on outdoor afternoon work will be in effect in all the four governorates of the Kingdom despite ongoing restriction in place to prevent Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.  The ban  prohibits outdoor work from midday until 4 pm during July and August to protect workers from heat stroke and other conditions. 

Those flouting the rule will attract a jail term not exceeding three months or a BD500- BD1000 fine or both, said Labour and Social Development Minister, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan. Now with also social distancing and other Coronavirus preventive measures already in place, this year’s ban is expected to bring more challenges to labour inspectors whose hand are already tied due to the outbreak.

The minister also warned that “the penalty will be doubled” for repeat offenders.  As of now, preparations are in full swing to begin the implementation of ministerial edict 39/ 2013, on banning outdoor afternoon work.  According to Bahrain’s Labour Market indicators, foreign workers employment reached 594,944 workers by the end of the second quarter of 2019.

In the construction sector, Bahrain reportedly has around 150,000 labourers spread at over more than 30,000 construction sites. Reports also indicate that there are an estimated 55,000 illegal foreign workers in the Kingdom, which has declined following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. 

Introduced in 2007 Bahrain introduced summer work ban in 2007 to shield workers from heat exhaustion, sunstroke and summer-related diseases and enhance productivity.  That year, in July and August, following the implementation of the rule-based on a Cabinet decision, the Kingdom reported a 50 per cent drop in workplace incidents, compared to a year ago.

  The ban, initially limited to construction workers, was later expanded to include labourers in all other sectors.  The plan Labour ministry said the summer ban aims at safeguarding workers’ health, ensuring their safety against heat exhaustion and sunstroke, prevent summer-related diseases and reduce occupational incidents from increasing temperatures and humidity.

The Ministry said it is running an awareness-raising campaign to help employers and workers comply with the provisions of the work ban and has distributed multilingual brochures and leaflets detailing the harmful effects of working under high temperature. Virtual workshops promoting workers’ safety and health at worksites in summer were also held.

98pc compliance In a statement, Minister Humaidan affirmed that Bahrain, a leader in ensuring a safe work environment for workers, is keen on implementing the ban in its best means. “On an average 98 per cent of private sector companies had complied with the ban in the past years,” the minister said adding that the figure proves the commitment of employers here in ensuring a safe and decent work environment for employees’.