Summer work timings take effect from today

The summer schedule that prohibits work from 11.30am to 3pm  in the open areas in Qatar comes into force today.According to the regulations of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) , starting till August 31, all work in  open areas should be limited to five hours in the morning shift, which should end by 11:30 am and the evening shift should not start before 3 pm. Further, employers should provide adequate quantities of drinking water to their workers at easily accessible shaded rest areas near their work sites. The inspectors of the Labour Inspection Department will be conducting checks around the country to enforce the rule. Meanwhile,  around 100  health and safety managers and officials of various government and private entities have attended a ‘Heat stress’ workshop  organised by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH).The workshop came as part of the heat stress programme entitled ‘Enjoy a safe summer’. The programme also includes awareness camps at work sites mainly targeting construction workers and those who work in the open in addition to their supervisors and health officials. SCH gave out a number of brochures and flyers addressing the issue .Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani, director, SCH Public Health Department, pointed out that the workshop aimed  at bringing down the number of cases of heat exhaustion among workers and protect them from diseases resulting from working in unhealthy surroundings. He said that due to the continuous efforts of SCH in this respect, related injuries are constantly decreasing. “The number of such registered cases in  2013 are less than those registered during 2011 and 2012,” he said.Dr Mohamed Ali al-Hajjaj, head of the SCH Occupational Health Section, said that the inspectors of the section are currently conducting field visits to instruct workers on how to avoid heat stress and they have already covered 208  sites since the beginning of May.