The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) affirmed its commitment to promoting and protecting the welfare, health and safety of all workers building stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In a statement yesterday, the Committee said it is striving to ensure high health and safety standards on the working sites, and is in constant contact with representatives of the workers and with human rights and workers’ rights organisations concerned with improving working conditions and achieving positive change for the benefit of workers in the region and the world, including the Human Rights Watch, noting that the SC acknowledged the concerns raised by Human Rights Watch (HRW), and discussed those concerns at length with HRW representatives over the last few weeks.
The statement said that the SC has received constructive feedback from HRW on the Humidex system. The SC is continuously striving to enhance the system and are exploring new approaches, such as capturing data on a year-long basis. In addition, the Committee is also considering the recommendations of HRW in relation to the Wet Globe Bulb Temperature (WBGT) system. However it remains of the view that the Humidex system, which is internationally recognized, is an accurate and effective method of monitoring work conditions on site. Indeed, HRW has recognised the efforts made to protect workers on the sites during hotter times of the year.
To date, there have been two work-related fatalities and nine non-work related deaths of workers engaged on our projects.
The SC explained that it does not have the authority or mandate to determine cause of death, which is reflected in death certificates issued by the medical authorities in Qatar. HRW has received all information available from those death certificates. The role of the SC is to oversee health and safety on the working sites, and ensure that the Workers Welfare Standards (WWS) are implemented.
The SC underlined that it investigates all fatalities on SC sites to establish whether they could have been prevented. The SC has provided HRW with the information requested concerning the circumstances surrounding non-work related deaths on SC projects.
Moreover, the SC also invests in initiatives to improve and enhance workers welfare. In 2017, the SC launched a nutrition and health screening programme with renowned medical college Weill-Cornell Medicine Qatar and conducted a root-and-branch review of medical facilities on all the working sites.
