Manama Yousif bin Abdulhussain Khalaf, Minister of Legal Affairs and Acting Minister of Labour, highlighted the Kingdom of Bahrain’s commitment to promoting safe work environments and reducing occupational hazards. He noted the ongoing national efforts to develop labour legislation, thereby enhancing occupational health and safety standards and implementing best practices to ensure safe and sound workplaces.
In a statement marking World Day for Safety and Health at Work, observed on April 28, Minister Khalaf emphasised that protecting the health and safety of workers across all productive sectors is a priority in the labour development pathway, recognising workers as a fundamental pillar of the production fields.
He noted the importance of developing a culture of occupational health and safety, noting that the availability of health and safety standards and systems encourages higher productivity among workers, supports their professional development, advances their businesses, and contributes to the continuity of production processes and the growth of the national economy.
The minister highlighted the importance of adopting proactive measures to reduce occupational accidents, selecting safe and suitable machinery and technologies for the work, and ensuring workers comply with the use of safety equipment and personal protective gear. He also emphasised the Ministry’s commitment to intensifying inspection and monitoring at workplaces, strengthening the role of occupational health and safety supervisors, and training and qualifying more national specialists in health and safety to achieve safer, accident-free work environments.
He further noted the Ministry’s keenness to strengthen cooperation with all relevant authorities to reduce occupational risks and hazards, and to enact relevant legislation and regulations. Among these is the Ministerial Edict prohibiting outdoor work during peak midday hours, which has been extended to cover three months, from June 15 to September 15, starting this year, 2025.
Minister Khalaf called on employers to continue adhering to the prohibition on outdoor work during the designated hours, urging them to reschedule working hours to comply with the edict and avoid cases of heat stress, sunstroke, and other summer-related illnesses. He also commended the high compliance rates achieved by establishments in implementing the midday work ban in previous years.
