UAE
Midday work ban during summer heat
Impact date: 15 June 2025 to 15 September 2025 The MoHRE has enforced an annual midday work ban prohibiting outdoor work under direct sunlight from 12:30PM to 3:00PM during summer. The regulation aims to protect workers’ health and safety during peak heat hours with limited exceptions for urgent or unavoidable tasks. Employers must comply by adjusting work schedules, providing shaded rest areas, and ensuring adequate hydration for employees.
Employer implications/action needed Employers must adjust work schedules to avoid outdoor activities during the prohibited hours, provide shaded rest areas for employees and ensure access to sufficient drinking water. These measures help maintain compliance with the midday break rule while safeguarding workers’ health in extreme heat. Proper planning and monitoring are essential to prevent violations and protect employee well-being.
Employer risk Failure to comply with the midday work ban can lead to fines and inspection notices from MoHRE. It also increases the risk of employees suffering heat-related illnesses. Such breaches may cause legal, financial, and reputational harm to the employer.
Health and safety
Impact date: 28 July 2025 Dubai has passed a new public health law, outlining a wide range of measures to improve community health and reduce disease transmission. Specifically, the law contains provisions requiring food-related establishments, owners of labor accommodations and entities in the field of public health pest control to comply with applicable legislation related to the health and safety of their employees and other training requirements.
Employer implications/action needed Employers in specific sectors will need to align their operations with the new public health requirements. All employers will need to cooperate with public entities by providing any required data and information that may be applicable for the benefit of public health.
Employer risk High risk of penalties for non-compliance.
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