DM initiates action plan for safe and healthy summer

According to Raed Al Marzouqi, head of the Occupational Health and Safety Section at the Public Health and Safety Department, officials will urge companies to think about the losses they could incur due to a worker’s absence from work because of heat stress, and the penalties and humiliation the company may draw for violating the laws related to midday break, access to shaded rest areas and water or electrolyte to drink.

They would then be asked to compare the monetary gains they could make if they abided by the rules, thereby enhancing the productiveness of the workers and the reputation of their firms. This shift in approach, he said, is to convince the owners and top management of companies with employees carrying out outdoor jobs about the need for their proactive efforts to make the summertime safe and healthy for their workers.

Al Marzouqi said it was the responsibility of employers to make sure that their workers have the means to protect themselves from heat stress.

“The laws are there. The penalties are there. They (companies) know that they will be held responsible, taken to court, made to pay fines and compensation if they are not following the rules and if their workers suffered heat stroke. So, we will ask them to think about it and then compare how much they can gain from protecting their workers from heat stress by providing electrolytes, water and shaded areas. What they need to spend for it is negligible when compared to their losses.”

Al Marzouqi said he planned to provide a presentation with diagrams showing the calculations for these comparative figures. “This year, we will verbally convey the message. But, we will go for such charts and diagrams next year as the calculations will make them really think about the positive aspects of the campaign,” he told Khaleej Times after the launch of this year’s campaign titled “Safe and Healthy Summer” on Monday.

Awareness and compliance

However, the official noted that the awareness and compliance levels among companies had improved tremendously following the successful implementation of the midday work ban by the Ministry of Labour and the safe summer campaigns by the municipality.

“After the launch of our annual campaign in 2008, cases of heat stress and heat exhaustion have considerably reduced. We conduct detailed investigations into reports on a worker who suffered heat exhaustion. If we observe that the company has violated rules, we take action against them.”

As per local rules, a company can be imposed fines ranging from Dh5,000 to Dh50,000 depending on the nature of the violation. “At the same time, we also investigate any wrong practices or lifestyle of the worker himself contributed to it. Sometimes, they themselves invite danger by not having enough water or not taking notice of the symptoms.”

To avoid such inappropriate behaviour of workers, the civic body will distribute brochures explaining the causes and symptoms of heat stress, preventive measures against it and first aid methods to be adopted if anybody suffers from it.

“Additionally, this year we have launched a new pocket guide in English and Hindi that will be very helpful for the workers to take proper precautions and remedial measures for heat stress. It also has a urine chart that will indicate the level of dehydration as per the change in colour of urine,” he added.

Three phases

Earlier, Redha Hassan Salman, Director of Public Health and Safety Department in the municipality who inaugurated the campaign, said the campaign will be divided into three phases.

The first phase, (from June 13-July 31), is for workers during which seminars about the dangers of heat stress will be organised for company representatives. Civic body officials with partners will also visit work sites to educate the workers through workshops.

The second phase is for the public and will run from June 19 to July 31. During this period, officials will visit commercial centres, beaches etc to make individuals aware of the dangers of sunstroke and heat stress.

Ramadan tents will be targeted in the third phase (from August 1 to 6). Awareness materials about Ramadan diet and heat stress during Ramadan will be distributed to workers and other
 individuals.

sajila@khaleejtimes.com