Minister of Labour: Noontime work decision starts in July

24-06-2023

The Ministry of Labour announced the entry into force of Ministerial Resolution No. (3) of 2013, regarding the prohibition of working under direct sunlight and open places with high temperatures during the afternoon from 12 noon to 4 pm of July and August of each year. The ban will start on Saturday, July 1, 2023, and aims to protect workers and ensure their safety from the dangers of heat stress, sunstroke and various summer diseases and reduce occupational accidents, during this particular period when average temperatures and humidity levels are very high. The Ministry of Labour has embarked on a proactive campaign aimed at raising awareness among employers and workers to demonstrate the importance of adhering to the decision. The facilities are then provided with guidance bulletins, in addition to preparing brochures and advertisements in multiple languages that include instructions and information on the impact of continuous exposure to high temperatures on the health and safety of workers during the exercise of job duties. The campaign also includes providing workshops for occupational safety supervisors in private sector establishments to inform them of the latest developments and requirements for the necessary requirements to prevent summer diseases and occupational accidents at work sites. In a statement on this occasion, the Minister of Labour said that the commitment of the Kingdom of Bahrain to implement this decision annually reflects the importance it attaches to human rights principles, especially the right of workers to provide a safe and healthy work environment in accordance with international labour standards. He pointed out that the implementation of the noon work ban during the past years contributed to reducing the risks of work injuries, stressing the importance of establishments strengthening their efforts in educating workers about summer diseases and ways to prevent them, indicating the risks resulting from heat stress due to their exposure to direct sunlight. In this context, Humaidan emphasised the necessity to provide comprehensive health care and first aid and find appropriate technical solutions that would reduce workers' exposure to temperatures and humidity. Humaidan also stressed the keenness of the Ministry of Labour not to cause adverse affects on the completion of existing projects implemented by establishments on time. He pointed out that the decision is an incentive for more productivity, due to the cessation of workers from work during the hours of the ban, and compensated them by rescheduling working hours throughout the period of validity of the decision. The minister also noted the commitment of private sector establishments over the past years to implement the stated decision. The ministerial decision on the prohibition of noon work stipulates that "anyone who violates the provisions of this decision shall be punished by the penalties stipulated in Article (192) of the Labour Law in the Private Sector promulgated by Law No. (36) of 2012. It also stipulates that anyone who violates any of the provisions of Chapter (15) and the decisions issued in implementation thereof shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months and a fine of not less than BD500 and not more than BD1000, or one of these two penalties. "