The midday break, which restricts labourers and workers across construction sites from work during afternoon hours, will come into force tomorrow (June 15) from 12:30pm to 3pm and run until September 15.

However, some professions and jobs are exempted from the midday break for technical reasons which requires work to continue uninterrupted.

These include project works such as spreading the asphalt mixture or pouring concrete or other work necessary to ward off danger, repair, damage, malfunctions or accidental emergency losses, including work to repair obstruction in water supply lines, sewage lines, electric lines, or obstruction of traffic on public roads, and gas or oil pipelines, reported Wam.

In such cases, the employer will have to provide cold drinking water commensurate with the number of workers on duty, and maintain the conditions of safety and public health by providing hydrating food and liquid such as salt, lemon and other materials that are approved for use by the local authorities.

In addition, companies should keep provisions for first-aid at the work site, appropriate industrial cooling facilities and shades from direct sunlight, and providing a shaded place for workers to rest during their downtime, stated the report.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation said it was implementing the midday work ban for the 18th consecutive year, in line with its continued commitment to occupational health and safety, which aims to provide a safe working environment for labourers and spare them the risks of exposure to high temperatures during the summer months.

The ministry called upon the community members to report any violation during the three-month ban period via its call centre at 600590000, operational from Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm or through ministry's smart application, said the Wam report.

As per ministry rules, employers must display the schedule of daily working hours (in Arabic as well as the language that these workers understand) at a prominent place in accordance with the provisions of the ban.

Those establishments which violate the ban will have to pay a fine of AED5,000 for each worker and a maximum of AED50,000 in the case that multiple workers are working in violation of the ban.

Copyright 2022 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).