Mid-day break for workers

MUSCAT, May 5 - To give solace to workers from the scorching sun, the mandatory mid-day break in Oman will begin from the first week of June.

“As usual, the three-hour break for blue-collared workers in the Sultanate will start from June 1. An official announcement in this regard will be made soon,” said an official at the Ministry of Manpower. Pointing out at Article 16 of Ministerial Decision 286/2008, the official said, “It is mandatory that workers must not work from 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm in construction or other open sites exposed to high afternoon temperatures from June to August every year.”

According to the official, private sector establishments should not be deploying workers in construction sites or open places with high temperature according to the procedures stipulated in the list of occupational safety and health measures in the Labour Law. “Work at all outdoor work sites, including construction, must stop between the given time, otherwise the ministry will take legal action against the violators of this regulation,” the official said. Temperature has already started hovering above 40 degree Celcius in parts of the Sultanate in the last few days. Reports indicate that Sur and Fahud recorded some of the highest temperatures in the Sultanate on Saturday, with 43 and 43.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The mid-day break law that covers June, July and August states that the workers should be given frequent breaks from the heat. At the same time, depending on the nature of the work that requires to be carried out during the break periods for technical reasons are exempted from the banned hours, the official said. “In this case, employers must provide all facilities that cater to the health of workers, including first aid, sunshades and cold water,” he said. Also excluded is work to prevent expected danger, damage, malfunction or loss, and also emergency work, such as those pertaining to cutting lines, water supply, sewerage, electricity and cutting off traffic or blocking public roads, in addition to broken gas pipelines or petroleum flow hindrances.

SAMUEL KUTTY