The Bahrain labour ministry said teams of inspectors will be out in force over the summer to ensure that companies in the kingdom abide by a midday ban on outdoor work.

Under the ban, nobody should be working outdoors between midday and 4pm throughout July and August, said Labour Ministry under-secretary Subah Salem Al Dossari on Saturday.

Now in its fifth year, the annual two-month ban was introduced to protect workers from the heat and humidity - particularly those in the construction industry and most likely to suffer from heatstroke and dehydration, he stated.

Al Dossari also urged employers to provide sufficient cool drinking water and proper work clothes to their staff, as well as posters informing them about the outdoor work ban.

He warned that any violation of the ban carried a fine of BD50 to BD300 ($133 to $796) for each worker caught on duty during those hours.-TradeArabia News Service