One in 10 registered labour camps in Bahrain has been warned for failing to meet national standards since mid-December, according to a top official.

However, Labour Ministry Under-Secretary Sabah Al Dossary said 90 per cent of more than 3,000 buildings registered as labour accommodation had been passed fit for use, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

He said more than 150,000 workers lived in documented labour camps, which are monitored by a team of inspectors who conduct an average of 30 visits a week.

"Our team of inspectors visited different labour camps that are registered with us and found that only 10 per cent have health and safety violations," he said.

"Violations registered included poor toilet facilities, no proper exits, overcrowding and other minor issues, which were directly communicated to the employers."

Al Dossary added that none of the violations uncovered were serious, so there was no need to refer landlords to the Public Prosecution.

"In 90 per cent of the camps, we did not find any violations, which is a good sign of employers taking care of their staff by providing safe accommodations."

Al Dossary revealed that around 500 inspections were conducted every year.

"Sometimes these inspections are conducted jointly with other bodies such as the Labour Market Regulatory Authority and the Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry," he said.

"Everything is checked during these inspections and employers are warned to rectify a problem. Failure to do so means the case is forwarded to the Public Prosecution."

The Labour Law for the private sector states employers should provide proper accommodation for their staff or provide housing allowances.

However, some do not and campaigners have raised concerns about conditions in unregistered labour camps - with almost 600 buildings in Manama being used to house workers according to figures released last year.

The issue of unsafe accommodation hit the headlines in February last year when three Bangladeshis died in a fire that broke out in a building being used as labour accommodation in Mukharqa. In January 2013, 13 Bangladeshis died in a blaze at a three-storey building where workers were being housed.

Ten Bangladeshis were also killed in a blaze on May 27, 2012 in a makeshift labour camp in East Riffa.

Migrant Workers Protection Society chairwoman Marietta Dias said that while it was positive that most registered labour accommodations were considered safe, many workers continued to live in unregistered labour camps that were potentially dangerous.

"It is obvious that labour camps registered by employers will meet certain standards because they will be inspected, but what about the workers who live in unsafe buildings, which are dotted across the country?" she asked.

"We regularly visit such unsafe camps and overcrowding is a common problem, with at least 35 people crammed in three rooms sometimes."

Dias said such properties were often rented out by landlords to an individual, who then sub-let them to different people - resulting in several tenants being crammed into unsafe living conditions.

However, the GDN reported on March 31 that new legislation which carried jail sentences and fines for landlords who risk the lives of expatriate workers was on the way.

The proposal is currently going through the National Assembly and could see offenders jailed for up to three months and fined BD2,000 ($5270).

If the offence was repeated, they would be sentenced to between six months and two years in jail and fined BD4,000 ($10,541).

The new rules, which are yet to be approved, state any property used for labour accommodation would have to provide 40 sq ft of space for each tenant and house no more than eight people in a single room, which should be at least 10 feet in height, said the report.

In addition, permission would not be granted for a property to be leased as a labour camp unless it is inspected by officials. -TradeArabia News Service