"GCC Midday Work Ban Officially Begins but Still Fail to Protect Workers,"

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The region’s extreme heat combined with high humidity poses a significant hazard of heat stress, as these conditions hinder the body’s ability to cool itself through sweating. Migrant workers, who form most of the labour force that work outdoors in the region, are particularly vulnerable to this risk...

... Even those who do not work outdoors are transported in substandard conditions and housed in cramped accommodations that are often poorly maintained, exposing them to poor air quality even during their downtime. Adding to these hardships, accessing clean drinking water and storing food in temperature-controlled environments present significant challenges, raising their risk of dehydration and food poisoning. Furthermore, many workers in the Gulf face regular exposure to hazardous air and chemical pollution...

... none of the Gulf States have imposed policies to effectively mitigate the risk of its harsh climate on outdoor workers. Instead, they continue to rely on a working hours ban during specific hours of the day during the summer months. These bans start in the beginning of June in Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman, and in mid-June in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In Bahrain, where temperatures are already reaching up to 43ºC, the summer midday ban does not take effect until July. Moreover, there are no strict guidelines for providing sheltered spaces for rest during the midday break or transport to and back from the labour accommodation. Often workers are housed in very remote areas, far from worksites, with commutes lasting anywhere between 45 to 90 minutes each way...

Summer midday work bans should not be based on arbitrary calendar dates, but on actual working temperatures, increasingly reaching extreme levels outside the designated ban hours and months...