Labour and Social Development Minister, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, has stressed the importance of consolidating the ongoing national efforts to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) by raising the level of the precautionary and pre-emptive measures at worksites to protect workers’ safety and health.
He affirmed Bahrain’s keenness to promote a healthy and safe work environment that is free of various occupational accidents and communicable diseases, as part of the precautionary measures recommended by the National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the Ministry of Health.
In a statement, the minister urged employers in the private sector to maintain the productivity levels while putting in place all precautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus among workers at work or at their accommodation.
The measures mainly include limiting workers’ gatherings in areas of limited capacity, leaving a safety distance, applying social distancing standards, and providing means of protection for them by providing temperature detection devices for workers, and placing sterilisers in visible places at worksites and at entrances, preventing crowding at work places and in vehicles for transporting workers, he said.
In this regard, Humaidan pointed out that the current challenges should be turned into success opportunities by ensuring the sustainability of the work place safety, developing work methods and creating effective risk management systems, stressing the importance of taking advantage of successful experiences in confronting health risks and vocational accidents.
He revealed that the Labour and Social Development Ministry had carried out as many as 14,176 inspection visits to work places across the kingdom since the spread of the pandemic and until May 2021.
The minister pointed out that the three production parties, namely the government, employers and workers, are responsible for ensuring the safety of workers and the entire country, through implementing all health and vocational safety systems, paying tribute to workers for their dedication and solidarity with employers in order to contribute to pushing the economic development march forward.
