HRW accuses Gulf States of failing to protect migrant workers from deadly summer heat

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused some members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of exposing migrant workers to yet another deadly summer without adequate occupational health and safety protections as temperatures soar to dangerous levels.

June marks the start of the enforcement period of midday work bans in several Gulf states, their sole heat exposure protection measure, according to HRW, which prohibits outdoor work during certain hours in summer months.

These bans generally apply from June through August or September and restrict outdoor work between late morning and mid-afternoon. In Qatar, for instance, The Eastleigh Voice has confirmed a total ban on working between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.

According to HRW, the calendar- and time-based bans to shield workers from heat-related health risks are limited in some states, leaving migrant workers, particularly those outdoors, to fend for themselves as they balance extreme heat, physically taxing work, and relentless demands from employers.

Between February and May 2026, the organisation spoke to 20 migrant workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan working in construction and app-based bike delivery about heat and occupational health and safety issues in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“The heat is so intense that it is beyond the endurance of an ordinary person,” a worker confessed to HRW.

HRW adds that a UAE-based road construction worker described the heat as “unbearable” and recalled working outdoors when temperatures reached 48 degrees Celsius.

“During summer, it becomes difficult to work by 7:30 or 8:00 am, but we have to work until 11:30 am no matter what. That is the most difficult time. How will we get through this year?” the worker posed.

Medical experts say exposure to extreme heat can cause fatal heat stroke, exacerbate pre-existing conditions, impair cognitive function, and increase the risk of workplace injuries. It can also cause lasting health harm, including kidney failure, and even premature death.

“Sometimes we hear news that someone in another company collapsed from the heat and died. When we hear that, we get goose bumps. We think, ‘Maybe tomorrow it will be our turn. We are also working in the same heat,’” a UAE-based worker added.

According to the organisation, six app-based bike delivery workers described a lack of cool or shaded rest areas, poor visibility in intense sunlight, heat distorting their vision, overheating of devices required for their jobs, and direct health impacts such as sunburns and heat-related illness, including dizziness and fainting, as common.

They further confessed that pressures from platform companies, including time-sensitive deliveries and fear of losing income or jobs, made it difficult to refuse orders even when conditions were unhealthy or unsafe.

“If an order comes, you have to deliver it even if it is hot or raining. During the very hot three months, in some places, every 15-20 kilometres, there were buses with AC arranged for rest for bike delivery riders. Water was also available there. If the heat was too much, we could rest there… but those were only in limited places,” another UAE-based worker is quoted as having said.

HRW, however, notes that some countries, such as Kuwait and Qatar, have explicitly banned bike deliveries during summer midday ban hours. For instance, the UAE has mandated rest and cooling stations for bike delivery riders and announced the recent expansion of these rest areas.

Michael Page, the deputy Middle East director at HRW, regretted that despite a wealth of evidence on both global temperature increases and the severe health risks extreme heat exposure poses, Gulf states are dragging their feet on adopting adequate protections.

“Gulf states have the means and capacity to adopt these protections, including restricting working hours based on actual temperature thresholds rather than fixed schedules,” he said.

Reports show that climate change is making the Hajj pilgrimage for Muslims to Mecca dangerously hot compared to the past, with temperatures once confined to peak summer months (June-August) now occurring in May or even earlier.

The organisation now wants Gulf states to adopt evidence-based occupational heat protection measures, such as the widely used Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, which measures occupational heat stress based on air temperature and relative humidity.

“These measures should include evidence-based work-rest schedules guided by real-time WBGT thresholds and work intensity, as well as access to cool water and cool, shaded rest areas, to prevent heat-related illness and death among outdoor workers,” the organisation urged.

A new International Labour Organisation (ILO) treaty, adopted on June 12, sets labour standards for gig work and includes a section on occupational safety and health. It requires governments to take adequate preventive measures to prevent occupational accidents, occupational diseases, and other risks to gig workers’ health.

Governments should promptly ratify the convention and implement it in domestic law, including measures to adequately address extreme heat risks, HRW further urged.

“Rising global temperatures are making existing extreme summer heat in the Gulf more dangerous, especially for the millions of migrant workers who work outdoors without adequate rest and hydration. Gulf states should guarantee safety and health protections to all workers,” Page added.