‘Company owners pledge to abide by occupational safety measures’

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Need to sterilize entire place on daily basis: Al-Ansari

KUWAIT CITY, April 22: Deputy Director General of Planning and Administrative Development at the Ministry of Social Affairs Iman Al- Ansari announced that work has been launched in the sector under the exceptional circumstances of the National Center for Occupational Safety and Health, which inspects labor housing to ensure their compliance with the occupational safety requirements for workers within the housing areas.

Al-Ansari indicated the work of the center is permanent, and some new requirements have been approved by the center and imposed by the Ministry of Health. She explained that current inspection campaigns are to limit the spread of Coronavirus (COVID)-19), due to the rate of infection in the workers’ accommodation, adding the sector has set some conditions that need to be followed and any party that violates those conditions will be sanctioned.

She stressed that all companies with accommodations registered with the sector have been invited to explain the new requirements and direct them to sign pledges to adhere to the occupational health and safety requirements that focus on sterilizing the entire place on a daily basis and to provide temperature measuring device, obliging the housing supervisor to measure the temperature of all workers on their entry and exit from the house in a way every day

Preventive
This is in addition to securing all preventive precautions such as masks, gloves, sterilizers, and detergents for workers living in the accommodation, provided that the employer bears the costs, and it’s not permissible to impose any charge on the worker.

Al-Ansari stressed the need to adhere to the special requirements in the accommodation such as spatial distancing, and to serve them food in successive small groups to prevent gathering while eating meals.

Article (4) stipulates that the following be taken into account in the rooms at workers’ residence: The area allocated to an individual inside the common room must not be less than four square meters; not to accommodate more than four workers inside the same room in residential compounds and eight workers in temporary housing; it is forbidden to use entrances, corridors, rooftops, or basements as rooms for house workers; windows of the building should not allow any dust to leak and should be covered with a metal wire that prevents insects from entering; all rooms must be well ventilated, having natural lighting and with adequate artificial lighting.

Special dining rooms must be provided in proportion to the number of workers residing there, and the employer must commit to providing the housing with the following basic equipment: wardrobes and single beds. It is not permissible to use double-deck beds as well as appropriate air-conditioning and water coolers, and in the event that high any worker is detected with high temperature, he should be isolated directly in a special room.

The Ministry of Health should be contacted immediately to check on the worker to ensure his safety. Al-Ansari concluded by extending thanks and gratitude to the Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Maryam Al-Aqeel for providing all support to conduct the work as required. He also appreciated the Director General of the Public Authority for Manpower and all the teams working on the frontline for their great efforts and continuous work, calling on the Almighty Allah to wipe out the epidemic and save everyone.

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