Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre launched the "Safety in Heat" program coinciding with the decision to prohibit work during midday in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The program prohibits working outdoors during midday during the summer and in facilities where workers are working under direct sunlight from 12:30 to 3:00 pm. This law is applied for three months (from June 15 to September 15) every year.
Part of its yearly activities, ADPHC aims to launch this program to raise awareness on taking the necessary measures by employers and supervisors to protect workers from heat and avoid exposure to heat stress. The program focuses on educating workers about the risks they run by being exposed to sunlight during midday, and about and methods of protection.
H.E. Matar Al Nuaimi, ADPHC Director General confirmed that this program reflects the interest of the Abu Dhabi Government in educating workers and employers about their rights and duties to preserve their safety and to reduce the number of injuries resulting from heat stress. Moreover, it reflects ADPHC commitment, as the body concerned with public health affairs including occupational health and safety.
His Excellency added that the launch of the “Safety in Heat” program with our strategic partners covers various sectors operating in Abu Dhabi such as construction, waste, energy, tourism, culture, health, transportation, and food sectors. The program aims at enhancing Abu Dhabi resident’s health and ensure the safety of its workers through the application of an integrated system of public health and preventive programs of the highest standards.
ADPHC provides, through this annual awareness program, a variety of materials that assist businesses in dealing with this issue. ADPHC will provide support and advice to all businesses in this regard.
ADPHC, through this program, calls on all businesses that exercise their activities within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and have workers in open places under direct sunlight to familiarize with the requirements of the “Safety in Heat” Program and implement them, in addition to ensuring the development of proper health control measures to protect them from heat stress, as well as the distribution of responsibilities and the provision of necessary online training in this period for all concerned people. Moreover, ADPHC calls on all businesses to print the instructions on eating healthy food, drinking water, taking breaks and wearing suitable personal protective equipment and others, and to distribute these instructions in the places where workers gather to preserve their safety and health, and to use the awareness materials provided by ADPHC.
His Excellency also remarked the necessity of strict compliance to preventive measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 at work, namely wearing masks, maintaining a social distance of 6 feets or two meters from others whenever possible, washing hands and disinfecting them regularly.
