Doha: Emphasizing on the Ministry of Labour’s ongoing collaboration with both regional and international partners in the national occupational safety and health system, Labour Minister H E Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri said that Qatar aims to improve prevention measures and enhance the nation's capacity to monitor heat stress cases.
The Minister while addressing the International Conference on Occupational Heat Stress also emphasized the significance of social dialogue between workers and employers to ensure effective implementation of new measures aimed at worker protection and the promotion of a secure and healthy work environment.
Held under the theme ‘Implementation of Practices, Sharing of Experiences, the two-day conference held in collaboration with International Labour Organization commenced under the auspices of HE Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, Minister of Labour.
Representatives of governments, workers and employers from Arab countries will participate in the conference over the course of May 9-10, 2023, in addition to a group of international and regional experts specialized in occupational heat stress prevention strategies from the International Labour Organization and academics from major universities in the United States of America, the European Union, Singapore and Mexico, Greece and South Africa.
“The State of Qatar has undertaken, since 2019, the implementation of the largest study ever on the effects of occupational heat stress in coordination and cooperation with international partners,” HE Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri said, noting that the study's findings have contributed to the global understanding of occupational heat stress and provided insights into potential solutions. As a result, the study has made recommendations aimed at improving worker protection.
His Excellency explained that the Ministry increased the period of time during which it is prohibited to work in open places during the summer, as the total prohibited working hours became higher compared to the countries in the region, pointing to the adoption of various practices to ensure the implementation of legislation on the ground, including the promotion of awareness campaigns for employers and workers and inspection of worksites.
His Excellency indicated that the world is suffering from the climate change crisis, which affected the entire world, in addition to the challenges related to global warming and its impact on work, pointing to the importance of holding a series of meetings to discuss ways to prevent the impact of high temperatures on the work environment, as it is one of the priorities of the occupational safety and health policy.
He clarified that Qatar leads the way in safeguarding workers from the negative impacts of occupational heat stress. The country was one of the first in the world to implement a comprehensive plan aimed at reducing the detrimental effects of high temperatures on workplace productivity.
His Excellency the Minister commended the International Labour Organization for its effective role in the field of work and workers, stressing that the safety of workers is one of the first priorities of the State of Qatar.
