Mid-day work ban for workers in Gulf country

Muscat - Labours in open areas should not work from 12:30 pm until 3:30 pm during summer months.

Ministry of Manpower Oman announced that workers on construction sites and those engaged in manual labour in open areas, should not work for three hours from 12:30 pm until 3:30 pm during summer months.
The announcement comes keeping in mind the safety of these workers as heat is high during the months of June, July and August. "The Ministry of Manpower announces a ban on work on construction sites or open areas from 12:30 pm until 3:30 pm during June, July and August, to protect the health and safety of workers in these sites," a spokesman from the ministry was quoted as saying in Times of Oman.
According to Article 16-3 of the Labour Law, "workers cannot work in construction or open sites with high degrees of heat from 12:30 pm until 3:30 pm during June, July, and August of each year. The spokesman added, "Because of the high heat during these hours, it becomes important to protect workers from harming themselves in these high temperatures."
Any company and establishment found flouting the law will face fines ranging from OMR100 to OMR500 or, in some cases, a jail term of up to one month. The penalties can be doubled for repeat violations. The ministry reaffirmed it would intensify inspection campaigns at work sites as over 750 companies were found violating Oman's mid-day break regulations in 2018, according to ministry figures. While of 2,665 companies that faced inspection between June and August, 771 were found in violation. In August, 158 companies were found violating the rule, compared to 362 in July and 251 in June.

• Oman