Abu Dhabi energy sector records zero violations of midday break during summer

The department conducted 3,493 inspection visits to ensure that firms in the energy sector were complying with safety standards

Web Desk

Published: Sun 27 Oct 2024, 1:36 PM

No companies in the energy sector in Abu Dhabi violated the midday break, which prohibited labourers across construction sites from working during afternoon hours in the summer, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) announced on Sunday.

The announcement came as DoE finalised its Safety in Heat campaign aimed at measuring the compliance of all companies operating in the energy sector with the midday work ban.

The department conducted 3,493 inspection visits to ensure that firms were complying with safety standards. Upon these site visits, no violations were recorded among companies.

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The Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Department at DoE conducted several inspection visits to work sites of sector companies in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to ensure that the best practices to safeguard workers' safety, comply with health, safety and environmental regulations were being implemented. The visits also made sure that companies were providing shaded areas for workers during the ban period to protect them from the sun.

Additionally, during the inspection visits, it was reported that appropriate cooling tools such as fans, sufficient water supplies, hydration materials like salts, and other comfort measures and first aid equipment were made available at work sites.

Engr Abdul Rahman Al Alawi, director of the HSE Department at the DoE, emphasised the importance of these inspections to ensure the adherence to the safety standards, and to raise awareness about the necessary measures to reduce heat stress to protect workers from heat.

Egnr Al Alawi also emphasised the importance of continued cooperation to ensure a safe work environment for everyone.

The Safety in Heat campaign also included organising 2,139 internal workshops and 5,056 awareness visits aimed at informing workers about the initiative, with a large attendance of approximately 37,759 workers.

As part of enhancing safety awareness, 7,276 informational brochures were distributed to workers at various locations. Additionally, social media platforms, videos, text messages, and emails were used to send more than 3,800 awareness messages. The department recorded a total of 40,828 workers that benefited from the awareness programme overall.

Mandated by Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre), the midday break prohibited work under direct sunlight in open areas between 12:30pm and 3pm and was in effect for three months, from June 15 until September 15, 2024.

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