JUST 56 violations of Bahrain’s summer outdoor work ban were recorded this year, with authorities reporting 99.5 per cent compliance by firms.
A total of 11,235 field inspections were conducted during July and August, when outdoor work is banned between midday and 4pm.
That marked an increase from 10,341 visits last year, the Labour and Social Development Ministry announced.
Jail
Employers who flouted the ban were referred to the Public Prosecution and face up to three months behind bars and fines of BD500 to BD1,000 for each employee caught working outside.
The ban is based on a 2007 law that aims to prevent heat-related illnesses during the scorching summer months, although campaigners have repeatedly called for it to be extended.
Last year the ministry collected more than BD10,000 in fines from employers who flouted the ban, while the 56 violations this year involved 148 workers, revealed Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel Humaidan.
“The growing compliance with the summer work ban reflects the self-conviction of employers and their understanding of the law with some voluntarily extending the ban period,” he said in an official statement yesterday.
“This establishes the transition from the legal monitoring phase to the stage where employers and society wholeheartedly believe that safety is a value that everyone deserves unconditionally.
“With or without the monitoring tool, this is the degree of self-discipline and compliance that we aimed to achieve.”
The minister also stressed the government’s keenness to protect the workforce from heat-related illness and work-related injuries.
“The decision to implement the summer work ban comes within Bahrain’s framework to preserve and strengthen the human rights system,” he added.
“Projects weren’t negatively impacted by this decision, as the working hours were restructured and this was evident also in the decrease in the number of worksite injuries and summer illnesses since its implementation.”
Tribute was also paid to foreign embassies that raised awareness of the policy among their nationals, as well as occupational health and safety issues.
The number of summer work ban violations has been steadily decreasing, particularly over the past two years.
In 2017, labour inspectors recorded 61 violations in one month alone, while 45 days into the ban in 2016 there were already 79 violations.
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