Abu Dhabi Department of Energy concludes Safety in Heat campaign

- Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) has concluded its Safety in Heat campaign, aimed at measuring the compliance of all companies operating in the sector with the midday work ban during the summer period. This decision prohibits work under direct sunlight in open areas between 12:30 and 15:00 and was in effect for three months, from 15th June to 15th September, 2024.

The Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Department at DoE conducted several inspection visits to work sites of sector companies in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to raise awareness among workers, employers, and supervisors regarding the importance of adhering to the decision during the summer months. These visits ensured the seamless implementation of best practices to safeguard workers' safety, comply with health, safety, and environmental regulations, and provide shaded areas for workers during the ban period to protect them from the sun. Additionally, appropriate cooling tools such as fans, sufficient water supplies, hydration materials like salts, and other comfort measures and first aid equipment were made available at work sites.

Abdul Rahman Al Alawi, Director of the HSE Department at the DoE, emphasised the importance of these inspections to ensure adherence to safety standards and to raise awareness about the necessary measures to reduce heat stress to protect workers from heat.

The campaign, which covered sector companies, included organising 2,139 internal workshops and 5,056 awareness visits aimed at informing workers about the initiative, with a large attendance of approximately 37,759 workers. As part of enhancing safety awareness, 7,276 informational brochures were distributed to workers at various locations. Additionally, social media platforms, videos, text messages, and emails were used to disseminate more than 3,800 awareness messages, and a total of 40,828 workers benefited from the awareness programme overall, reflecting the initiative's success in achieving its goals.

Regarding compliance with safety standards, 3,943 inspection visits were conducted, demonstrating adherence to the required guidelines and standards.