Doha: Field visits carried out by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, represented by Labour Inspection Department, from July 16 to August 13 resulted in the closure of 67 work sites for a period of three days because they violated the Ministerial Decision No. 16 of 2007. Most of the violating companies were in the contracting sector in different areas of the country.

The inspectors has carried out a number of inspections with the aim of ensuring compliance by companies operating in the country with Ministerial Decision No. 16 of 2007 determining working hours in exposed/outdoor workplaces during the summer.

The Ministerial Decision No. 16 of 2007 bans work after 11:30am during the morning, while work should begin from 3:00 pm during the evening from June 15 to August 31 every year.

The decision obliges companies and institutions that have workplaces under direct sunlight to set a schedule specifying the daily working hours in accordance with the provisions of the decision, a visible place that is easy for all workers to see and for the Ministry inspectors to observe during their inspection visits to the workplace, in addition to providing air-conditioned spaces for the workers’ comfort, providing chilled drinking water and light clothing, and giving them rest periods at different times in order to protect them from the risk of thermal stress.