Doha, Qatar: The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) concluded its anti-exhaustion campaign, which started on August 1, as part of many meetings, lectures, and field awareness seminars, distributing awareness-raising publications to workers in three languages: Arabic, English, and Urdu, providing them with tools and supplies that provide protection from the sun’s rays and contribute to reducing the severity of the heat.
NHRC Secretary General, H E Sultan bin Hassan Al Jamali said that the campaign managed to reach around 10,000 workers and had a wide resonance in the community, over social media platforms, and with accredited embassies to the state. He reviewed the most important observations about the level of workers’ and employers’ awareness of the laws and decisions related to working conditions in outdoor spaces during the summer period, presenting some conclusions and recommendations regarding protecting workers from the dangers of heat exhaustion and awareness mechanisms.
During the closing conference of the campaign, Al Jamali pointed out that the NHRC annually carries out dozens of media activities to spread the culture of human rights, and also implement an awareness campaign regarding the decision of Minister of Labor, H E Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri No. 17 of 2023 regarding the necessary precautions to protect workers from heat exhaustion.
He added that workers and employers did not have abundant information about the heat exhaustion decision other than that related to the ban on working at noon in open spaces during the summer period.
Moreover, he pointed out that the decision includes other provisions such as placing a schedule of daily working hours in a visible place that is easy for all workers to see, developing a joint plan with workers to assess the risks of heat exhaustion and place it in a visible place, providing training to workers by May of each year on dealing with heat exhaustion, as well as provision of free drinking water, shaded rest areas, and appropriate personal protective equipment, and conducting medical examinations to diagnose and manage chronic diseases at no cost to the worker.
Al Jamali presented the committee’s recommendations based on the conclusions of the necessity of continuing awareness campaigns about heat exhaustion to raise awareness for both employers and workers and prevent the use of ignorance of the law as an excuse, saying that during May of each year, extensive media campaigns must be carried out about heat exhaustion in close cooperation between all competent authorities.
He also noted the necessity of providing awareness-raising publications and introducing the hotline to receive heat exhaustion complaints, which the Ministry of Labor announced on all social media platforms, which ensures maintaining the worker’s privacy and the confidentiality of the complaint to enable workers or their representatives to confront any actions that violate the law and prevent them from occurring.
Also, he highlighted the continuity of efforts to ensure that workers’ rights develop in accordance with human rights and in close cooperation with authorities, expressing his gratitude to the coordinators of participating communities for their cooperation and to the representatives of the Ministry of Labor, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Qatari Diar, and guests of foreign embassies.
Technical Specialist (OSH) at the ILO Project Office for the State of Qatar, Michael Kandarakis stressed the need to raise awareness and launch behavior change campaigns targeting workers, employers, and the general public regarding risks associated with high temperatures and measures to be taken under such circumstances.
