"Gulf States: Inadequate Heat Protection Putting Workers in Peril,"

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are failing to protect outdoor migrant workers experiencing dangerous, heat-related health risks as global warming-fueled heatwaves envelope the region...

Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) interviewed by Human Rights Watch described symptoms of heat-related illness, including fainting and vomiting, and described feeling suffocated by the heat. Despite deadly temperatures, interviewees often lacked access to shaded rest breaks and cold water to hydrate and cool off.

“Gulf states like to be seen as world leaders on a range of issues, but on the critical global issue of heat protection, their record is lackluster at best,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “As a result, migrant workers in countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar who are trying to provide for their families back home are unnecessarily suffering every day, enduring long-term chronic illnesses, and even dying due to the suffocating heat.”...

Yet Gulf states apply inadequate midday work bans that only prohibit outdoor work during pre-defined hours in the summer months instead of using the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index, a widely used index that measures occupational heat stress based on air temperature and relative humidity. Only Qatar uses the index as a threshold to stop outdoor work, but the work stoppage threshold is set too high to effectively protect workers...