Doha: The Ministry of Labour, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund (WSIF), has launched a nationwide awareness campaign to highlight the risks of heat stress and promote effective prevention methods. Organized by the ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health Department, the campaign targets workers in various companies and sectors, particularly during the high summer temperatures, which can pose serious health risks.

According to Qatar News Agency, this initiative reflects the Ministry’s ongoing commitment to protecting the health and safety of workers and is part of broader public-private efforts to ensure safe working environments. The campaign aims to educate workers about the symptoms of heat stress, such as dizziness, headache, excessive sweating (or its absence), fatigue, and loss of consciousness, and provide them with practical guidance on how to respond.

Workers are encouraged to stay hydrated, take breaks in shaded areas, wear light clothing, and use protective headgear when working outdoors. In cases of exhaustion, they should stop work immediately, seek shade, drink water, and seek medical help if needed. Specialists from the Ministry of Labour, MoPH, and WSIF participated in the campaign, underlining the importance of early prevention and basic safety practices. They stressed that simple measures can significantly reduce the risks of heat-related illnesses and improve overall worker well-being.

The Ministry also urged companies to implement key preventative measures, including providing annual training on heat stress prevention, no later than May each year, supplying cold drinking water throughout the workday, establishing shaded and well-ventilated rest areas, conducting annual medical check-ups to identify health conditions that heighten heat risk, and collaborating with workers to assess and manage heat-related risks at the workplace.

This campaign is part of a series of awareness and safety initiatives run by the ministry throughout the year. These efforts aim to foster a culture of occupational safety and health while ensuring a work environment that supports productivity, sustainability, and the protection of all workers, especially during periods of extreme weather.