Gulf States: Inadequate heat protection puts workers at risk

(Beirut) – GCC countries are failing to protect migrant workers exposed to dangerous temperatures working outdoors Health risks As Global warming causes Heatwave envelope Human Rights Watch said today.

Migrant Workers Saudi Arabia, Qatar,as well as United Arab Emirates Emirati women interviewed by Human Rights Watch described symptoms of heat-related illness, including fainting and vomiting, and described feeling suffocated by the heat. Despite extremely high temperatures, interviewees often lacked access to shaded breaks and cold water to rehydrate and cool down.

“The Gulf states want to be seen as world leaders on a range of issues, but on the critical issue of global heatstroke prevention their performance has been lackluster at best,” he said. Michael Page“As a result, migrant workers trying to feed their families in countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are suffering needlessly every day, suffering from chronic illness, and even dying from suffocating heat,” said Carolyn Miller, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

Some of them The hottest day According to a study, in the third week of July 2024, the region recorded the worst Scientific Datasetsand heat indexes in parts of the Gulf of Mexico City Over 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). Dubai and Doha recently Ranking These two cities have become the two most dangerous cities in the world for high temperatures in summer. Media reports Reported On July 17, the temperature in Dubai, including humidity, felt like 62 degrees Celsius (143.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

But the measures implemented by the Gulf countries are insufficient Lunchtime work ban Only prohibit outdoor work during predetermined periods of summer, rather than using the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index, which is widely used index Measures occupational heat stress based on air temperature and relative humidity. Qatar This index is used as the threshold for stopping outdoor work, but the suspension threshold is set too high and cannot effectively protect workers.

In May 2023, Human Rights Watch Accept an interview In September 2023, after the ban on midday work ended, Human Rights Watch surveyed 90 migrant workers about the heat risks faced by outdoor workers in the Gulf countries, in addition to 15 workers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In July 2024, during the height of the summer, Human Rights Watch followed up on this research and interviewed eight workers in the UAE and Qatar.

“We can’t describe in words the heat we’re experiencing,” said a worker erecting scaffolding in Qatar. “You have to experience it for yourself. Our bodies are soaked in sweat. From head to toe. No organ is spared.”

One Emirati worker said: “This job is not good for our health… Headaches and fever are common. Constant sweating weakens your body. But our (economic) circumstances and needs are the biggest drivers of our strength and allow us to adapt even in hot weather.”

Peer Review Research study Midday heat bans in the Gulf countries have been shown to be ineffective in protecting workers, as extreme heat conditions occur outside of the months or hours when the bans are in effect. “A three-hour break does not take away the heat,” said one UAE worker. “It gets really hot after 3pm. … When it gets too hot, you start to feel dizzy. Your body gets weak. You lose motor cognition. Your muscles get really weak.”

Another Emirati worker said: “If there is wind, the heat will make people feel better, but if there is no wind, even breathing becomes very difficult.”

Not all supervisors are sympathetic. One road construction worker said: “The foremen don’t care, the engineers just want to get a job. In the heat, people are passing out. The rest of us are supposed to keep working as normal.”

“One or two workers faint every day, in the morning and evening. Sometimes on the way to work. Sometimes while working,” said a Saudi worker.

Nosebleeds, fever, headache, nausea and fainting are common symptoms among workers. lasting healthy Influence Such as end-stage renal failure and even death. Human Rights Watch Record In this context, migrant workers and their families do not receive any support from Gulf governments or employers.

Gulf state authorities should immediately adopt risk-based heatstroke prevention measures, such as WBGT, and set appropriate thresholds based on work intensity to implement evidence-based work-break schedules, Human Rights Watch said.

Employers should also provide shaded rest areas and drinking water. “It’s better now because work stops from 10am to 3:30pm, instead of at noon as in the past,” said a Qatari worker. “However, the downside is that we don’t have a rest area while we work. We go back to the camp, which is an hour’s drive away.” Whenever he has to rest on site, he does so in a bus without air conditioning.

This summer, Human Rights Watch interviewed four workers who said water was not always available on the jobsite. “We have to stay hydrated,” one worker said. “If we sweat too much or don’t drink water every half an hour or so, we start to feel weak.”

These heatwaves are already being exacerbated by the climate crisis and are expected to escalate rapidly if governments do not take action to phase out fossil fuels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading authority on climate science, said the Gulf state “It is expected that the physiological threshold of human adaptability will be approached or even exceeded by the end of this century.”

The IPCC says existing fossil fuel projects are already beyond the climate’s capacity to sustain and will not limit global warming to the 1.5 degrees Celsius needed to prevent global climate breakdown. driver Climate crisis, accounting for more than 80% of global CO2 emissions.

Some countries, including the United States develop Heat protection for outdoor workers. Although these protective measures may also have serious loopholes, Major obstacles To be effective, these policies will require refer to This is an important step in the right direction as more and more research shows that extreme heat is associated with serious health hazards.

Migrant workers continue to face other Abuse According to employer Kafara The employer sponsorship system in the Gulf countries, for example, makes it difficult to change jobs and unpaid recruitment loans trap workers in poor working conditions. “If we slow down our work because of the hot weather, the foreman threatens us with three days’ salary deduction,” said one worker.

In addition, trade unions prohibit Or restricted in the Gulf states, especially for migrant workers. Gulf states also restrict freedom of expression, leading to persistent inadequacies in protections such as lunchtime work bans.

Human Rights Watch said the Gulf states’ experience dealing with hot weather, managing large-scale construction projects, and recent large-scale events such as concerts and sporting events that require outdoor activities should further inspire these countries to become leaders in summer cooling.

Gulf states should work to avoid a repeat of recent tragedies caused by extreme heat, including the more than 1,300 deaths during the annual Muslim pilgrimage hosted by Saudi Arabia, known as the Hajj. pilgrimage Qatar may host the 2022 World Cup. Extremely hot The incident was linked to the deaths of dozens of migrant workers who facilitated the tournament.

“As global temperatures reach unprecedented levels, Gulf countries should be taking the lead in implementing strong heat mitigation measures to protect outdoor workers, rather than standing idly by and failing to protect large numbers of migrant workers from the known health risks posed by extreme heat,” Page said.