FIFA World Cup: Qatar enforces summertime ban on outdoor labour

A daytime ban on outdoor work in the summer months went into effect in Qatar on Wednesday.

This is part of efforts to protect migrant labourers from the heat as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup seeks to improve its human rights record before the event.

Qatar has been repeatedly criticised internationally for the alleged exploitation of migrant workers, who make up the majority of the energy-rich country’s workforce.

That criticism has hit ever harder in the run-up to the games, which Qatar sees as a global showpiece.

The Qatari Ministry of Labour said outdoor work is banned between 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) and 3:30 p.m. every day from June 1 to Sept. 15.

The rule was signed into law last year.

The ministry tweeted it would conduct an awareness campaign at workplaces to raise awareness of heat stress dangers and companies’ duty to abide by the ban.

The regulations replace a 2007 government decree, which prohibited work outdoors in Qatar from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. between June 15 and Aug. 31.

The rules also ban work outdoors if the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) rises beyond 32.1 degrees Celsius at a particular workplace, regardless of the time of day.

The WBGT index takes into consideration ambient temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed.

The new measures also oblige employers to provide free cold water for workers during work hours, shaded places for protection from heat during breaks and personal protection equipment.