UAE’s midday work ban ends on September 15

The midday work ban across the UAE will end today, September 15, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has announced.

During the ban period, work under the sun or in uncovered areas from 12.30pm to 3pm was prohibited.

Mid-day Break ends today with 99% compliance: Ministry of Human Resources#WamNews https://t.co/0sXEBkYiAB pic.twitter.com/umCGOBRnSm

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) September 15, 2022

The midday work break, which came into force on June 15, continued for 92 days this year.

The directive was to ensure the wellbeing and safety of labourers working under direct sunlight and to protect them from high temperatures during summer months, official news agency WAM reported.

Read: Midday work break in the UAE to start from June 15

The break, which was implemented for the 18th year in a row, involves a series of controls, awareness programmes and events, organised in cooperation with private sector entities. The ministry revealed that it had conducted 55,192 inspection visits, with the compliance rate reaching 99 per cent. Meanwhile. members of the public could also report violations of the midday break via MoHRE’s call centre or its app.

Some professions and jobs, which were exempted from the ban for technical reasons, included 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 and gas or oil pipelines, the statement added.

It also excluded works whose implementation required a permit from a relevant government entity because of their impact on the flow of traffic and services, which required it to be carried out around the clock, such as diversion of traffic or the cutting off of electricity and telecom lines.

In the event where work had to continue uninterrupted during afternoon hours, the employer was mandated to provide cold drinking water to the workers on duty, and maintain the conditions of safety and public health. The employer could do so by providing hydrating food and liquids, such as salt and lemon, or other foods approved by the local authorities. Companies were also directed to provide umbrellas, first-aid kits, cooling facilities and shaded places for workers to rest during their rest time.

In case of infractions, fines amounting to Dhs5,000 per labourer were to be levied, which could scale to a maximum of Dhs50,000 for multiple labourers.