More than 8,000 workers across Dubai have undergone free health screenings at their workplaces as part of efforts to reduce health risks linked to high summer temperatures and direct exposure to the sun.
A total of 8,350 on-site health screenings were carried out with the support of around 28 specialised healthcare professionals. Workers also attended awareness sessions on heat stress, sun exposure and preventive measures they can follow while working in hot weather.
The screenings were carried out in areas with large concentrations of workers, including Muhaisnah, Al Mankhool, Al Jaddaf, Al Qusais and Al Muraqqabat. Muhaisnah was covered in two phases to reach workers across different locations.
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The campaign, called ‘Summer Without Risks’, was launched on June 16 and continued for several weeks, according to the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).
Health advice in multiple languages
Along with the screenings, workers were given information on the risks associated with heat stress and spending long periods under direct sunlight.
The sessions also focused on preventive measures and healthy practices that can help workers protect themselves while carrying out their jobs during the summer.
Health and safety messages were delivered in multiple languages to make sure workers could clearly understand the information.
Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, deputy director General of Identity and Foreigners Affairs and Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs in Dubai, said taking preventive healthcare directly to workers was an important part of protecting them.
“Worker safety begins with awareness and is strengthened by ensuring that preventive healthcare reaches workers where they are,” he said.
He said that the initiative combined awareness sessions with on-site screenings to help reduce risks associated with high temperatures and encourage practices that protect workers’ health and safety.
Bin Suroor also said that protecting workers requires cooperation between government entities, private companies and healthcare institutions, particularly when preventive measures need to reach people directly at their workplaces.
Healthcare brought to workplaces
The initiative was carried out in collaboration with Drydocks World, Dubai, Grand Infinity Healthcare Group and Aster DM Healthcare.
By bringing healthcare professionals and awareness sessions directly to areas where workers are based, the programme sought to make preventive healthcare more accessible during the hottest months of the year.
GDRFA Dubai said that the initiative forms part of broader efforts with its partners to improve workplace health and safety, increase preventive awareness among workers and reduce health risks associated with summer conditions.
Source: Khaleej Times