In recent years, Qatar has made significant contributions to the advancement of workers' and workers' rights. To complement the excellent work being done on the ground, Qatar's National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has launched an awareness campaign regarding the impact of heat stress on employees' physical and mental health in the workplace.
The campaign's goal is to increase awareness of the necessity of all stakeholders working together to implement the country's legal choices on the prevention and prohibition of labour in high-temperature environments.
The campaign, aimed mostly at employees in the construction and delivery services industries, aims to strengthen the protection of expatriate workers' rights and resolve any gaps in implementation that would hinder total protection.
According to NHRC Chairperson Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, Qatar has improved its human rights record over the years, protecting human dignity and the enjoyment of the right to a decent life based on the principles of freedom, justice, equality, and tolerance.
The campaign's major goal, according to the NHRC Chairperson, was to increase awareness among both employers and employees about the need of enforcing Ministerial Decree No. 17 of 2021 on the essential procedures to safeguard workers from the hazards of heat stress during the summer time. The decree prohibits working outside during peak heat periods in order to prevent heat stress, which can lead to serious breaches of human rights, most notably the right to life and the right to bodily and mental health. This awareness campaign leads to the appropriate execution of applicable legislation and eliminates the justification of ignorance.
The most important sub-goals of the campaign, according to Al Attiyah, are ensuring the implementation of legal obligations pertaining to working conditions and safeguarding workers from heat stress.
The campaign aims to improve employers' and workers' compliance with heat stress prevention legal standards stipulated in national legislation, as well as to provide information to stakeholders — including workers and employers — on the most effective ways to comply with heat stress prevention legal provisions. It also aims to learn about deficiencies and abuses that are not covered by existing legal provisions, to establish respect for workers' rights that are recognised nationally and internationally in Qatar, to improve working conditions, and to provide a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment that protects workers' rights.
The awareness campaign will emphasise the need for a safe, healthy, and sustainable work environment for increased productivity and growth.
