أسئلة وأجوبة لأصحاب العمل في قطر: الإجهاد الحراري

Workers who are exposed to weather conditions such as sun radiation, moisture, and heat can no longer work outside from 1 June to 15 September.

With Qatar implementing new legislation that offers workers with more protection against heat strain, this handbook gives businesses the information they need to limit the danger of worker thermal stress, guarantee protection and provide everyone with appropriate conditions of work.

1. Hot stress, what? 1.

In physical hard effort, the body creates huge quantities of heat which should be eased to keep the body steady in the surroundings. It generally causes this sweat on the skin to evaporate and sends more blood to cooler places, such as the skin, the arms and the legs. If a person does operate in a hot setting, the heat that is produced internally is far more difficult to get rid of. When the body cannot rid itself of excess heat, it increases its core temperature and the cardiac velocity. The person loses heat and has difficulty concentrating on a task, can get angry or ill, and frequently loses the desire to drink water. The following stage is generally weakness and even death when the person is not refreshed quickly.

2. Is it impossible to prevent heat-related diseases?

YES! Work practices such as self-pacing, drinking water often, wearing adequate clothing and cooling the working environment through air conditioning and ventilation, providing shady rest rooms and annual health checks are among the greatest approaches to minimize risk of heat-related diseases.

3. Is the employer responsible for safeguarding workers' health?

YES! Employers are responsible for ensuring safe and healthy employment Employers must recognize hazards and take action before they cause an accident or illness to correct problems Employers should incorporate in their risk assessment all preventative actions Articles 99 to 107 of labor law and Decision No 17 of 2021, Article 41 of ministerial law

4. When outside jobs are banned? 4.

Work cannot be carried out in the outdoor labor market from 1 June till 15 September, from 10 a.m. till 3:30 p.m., when people are expared to weather conditions, such as solar, moisture and heat (Ministerial Decision No 17 of 2021, Article 21);

5. How is the working environment defined? 5.

Outside jobs are defined as working environments where employees are exposed to the weather (such as solar radiation, humidity and heat)

6. Can work be done in a sheltered and ventilated outdoor workplace?

Yes! Works can be carried out outside only in shaded and ventilated areas, providing the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Index (WBGT) is lower than 32.1 for measuring occupational heat stress levels.

7. How are workplaces regarded as shaded and ventilated?

These encompass work environments where the ventilation (fans and/or air conditioning) system is adequate and adequate, where the workers are not solar radiation exposed or where heat is not exposed from the operating equipment and other sources. (Decision 17 2021 of the Minister, Article 1).

8. How are the WBGT?

A generalized index to assess occupational heat stress is the wet-bulb globe temperature indeximum. Temperature, moisture, wind speed and sun radiation are taken into account. In accordance with the new Ministerial Decision, a WBGT measurement device shall be situated near the workforce without risk of accidents and/or interruption in the usual operating process. This guarantees that the data collected represent the actual worker stress level.

9. How do information and training, drink water supply, shaded rest spaces and personal safety equipment particular measures apply?

Heat-related disease prevention workmen, safety and health officers should be informed and instructed. Employers shall provide workers with cold drinking water and adequate shade rest spaces which are easy to reach and effective to shield workers against solar radiation during breaks as well as hot Decision No. 17 of 2021 personal protection equipment. Article

10. How can employers facilitate the acclimation process for employees?

Acclimation is a step-by-step physiological adaptation which increases employees' ability to cope with heat stress by optimizing human heat physiological responses. Employers could allow workers to acclimate by increasing their workload or by giving breaks for new workers and people returning to work after a while, It is recommended that newly recruited personnel gradually expand over 2 weeks before full tasks are assigned to an investigation of the conditions during summer in Qatar.

11. Is night work safe?

Shifts at night can lessen workers' heat stress exposure However, night hours could have adverse implications on safety, productivity and health for workers. Accurate or chronically tired sleep loss on consecutive days may enhance the risk of accidents. Based on an analyzes of conditions in Qatar throughout the Summer, a shift from 4:00pm to 2:00pm provides the optimum combined heat stress and sleep deprivation risk.

12. What are the health inspections required for chronic disease diagnosis and management that can add to the risk of heat stress?

Certain chronic conditions have been shown to increase the risk of heat stress. Hypertension and diabetes are among them. In order to diagnose these illnesses, medical tests should not only be conducted prior to departure, but should be carried out annually so that they may be controlled and personnel at risk for heat stress can be assigned to different jobs.

13. What sanctions do the Ministerial Decision No 17 of 2021 have for non-compliance?

If any of the provisions of Ministry Decision No. 17 of 2021 are not complied with, the workplace may be cut off partially or entirely. [Article 7 of Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021.

14. Where may I report a failure to comply?

Please call the Ministry of Administrative Design, Labor and Social Affairs Labor Inspection Department at 16008. Please be sure to keep your call discreet, so your personal data will not be requested and that your company is not notified of the complaint.