Sterilization of more than 1,100 work sites and workers housing.. Humaidan directs establishments to intensify their preventive efforts at work sites and workers' housing Community Verified icon

21-04-2020

His Excellency Jameel bin Mohammad Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour and Social Development, affirmed that, in implementation of the directives of the Coordination Committee chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, may God protect him, and in light of the application of preventive and precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID‑19), the Ministry has intensified efforts to monitor private‑sector establishments and to determine the extent of their compliance with all official instructions during this exceptional period, in order to enhance occupational safety and health at workplaces. In this context, Humaidan urged business owners to intensify their preventive efforts and precautionary measures to ensure the protection of workers by reducing the number of workers at workplaces and in vehicles used to transport workers, and by adhering to social distancing standards in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s instructions. He stressed that there will be no leniency with establishments that do not adhere to ensuring the safety and health of workers. He pointed out that the Ministry of Labour and Social Development has formed a specialised team comprising occupational safety supervisors and engineers, with the aim of intensifying communication with various establishments to ensure implementation of the legal provision requiring the establishment of occupational safety and health committees at workplaces. Establishments have been contacted regarding measures taken to combat the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID‑19), including wearing face masks and applying health standards in facilities, rest areas and other areas. His Excellency the Minister, Humaidan, stated that the Ministry followed up on the sterilisation of 593 workers’ accommodation, with a special area allocated for precautionary quarantine in these accommodations. The Ministry also communicated with 537 worksites in many companies and institutions to ensure their continuous sterilisation. In this context, he praised establishments committed to these procedures and emphasised the need to raise awareness among all workers about preventing infectious and contagious diseases. He highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to implementing proactive measures that combat infection in both workspaces and workers' accommodations. Humaidan also urged private‑sector establishments to activate work‑from‑home as much as possible, especially for jobs that can be managed from home, in order to reduce the number of workers at worksites while ensuring that the production process is not affected within the establishment. He stressed that the presence of preventive measures such as daily temperature checks and the placement of sterilisation devices in visible areas at worksites, primarily upon entering and exiting the site, in addition to administrative measures such as preventing workers from gathering in limited areas and adhering to the required distance established by the relevant health authorities between workers, as well as preventing crowding at the worksite or workers’ accommodation, contribute effectively to limiting the spread of the virus. The Ministry of Labour and Social Development has prepared awareness campaigns in cooperation with the National Campaign to Combat the Spread of the Coronavirus (COVID‑19) by distributing a set of guidance publications in multiple languages to foreign workers. More than 300,000 written and printed awareness publications have been produced, targeting 350,000 foreign workers in various languages. The Ministry has intensified communication with employers during the recent period with the aim of reducing the number of workers in the housing provided by the employer, in implementation of the preventive guidelines for social distancing in workers’ accommodation, in accordance with Decision No. (40) of 2014 regarding Requirements and Specifications of Workers' Accommodation, especially with regard to providing four square metres of free space for each worker in the rooms in which the workers reside.