ORDER NO 25/1977

THE ORGANISATOIN OF SERVICES AND PRECAUTIONARY
MEASUES NECESSARY FOR THE PROTECTION OF WORKERS IN

WORKPLACES

The Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs; in pursuance of the first paragraph of article 92 of the Labour Law for the Private Sector, promulgated by Amiri Decree Law No. 23/1976 and Order
No. 29/1976 made by the Minister for Labour and Social Affairs with respect to the organisation of industrial Safety Bodies in establishments and determining and organising the services and precautionary measures vital to protecting workers during work form the hazards of work and
machinery;

ORDERS

Article 1

The provisions of this Order shall apply to all premises to which the above mentioned Labour Law the Private Sector 1976 applies, except those establishments subject to the provisions of Order No. 12/1997 made by the Minister for Labour and Social Affairs with respect to the determination and organisation of precautionary measures vitals to the protection of workers engaged in construction, civil engineering and shipbuilding.

Article 2

The following expression shall have the meaning assigned hereby to it newline 'maintained in a safe condition' means kept safe at all times and includes proper construction and maintenance of the structure, floor, etc,. and prohibits any temporary lack of safety.

Article 3

Each employer or the person acting in his place shall acquaint the worker before being employed of the hazards of work and means of protection against such hazards. He shall also take the necessary precautions for protecting the workers from the hazards of work and machinery and shall provide them with he necessary services for such protection. The employer may not charge the workers or deduct any amounts from their wages in consideration of providing such facilities.

Article 4

The worker shall not embark upon any action or cause any failure which aims at hampering the execution of instructions or the misuse, or causing damage to the means provided for the protection and safety of the workers employed with him. He shall abide by the instructions laid down for his safety and safety and protection from the hazards of work.

Article 5

• All floors, steps, stairs, passages and gangways shall be of sound construction and shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be kept free from any obstruction and from any substance likely to cause
persons to slip and shall be properly maintained in a safe condition.
• For every staircase in a building or affording a means of exit from a building, a substantial hand-rail shall be provided and maintained which, if the staircase has an open side, shall be on that side, and in the case of a staircase having two open sides or of a staircase which, owing to the nature of its construction or the condition of the surface of the steps or other special circumstances, is specially liable to cause accidents, such a hand-rail shall be provided and maintained on both sides.
• Any open side a staircase shall also be guarded by the provision and maintenance of a lower rail or other effective means.
• All openings in floors and walls, including opening through or from which a person is liable to fall a distance of more than 2 metres shall be securely fenced, except in so far as the nature of the work renders such a fencing impracticable.
• All ladders shall be soundly constructed and properly maintained.

Article 6

• There shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be provided in a safe condition, means of access to every place at which any person has at any time to work, and every such place shall, so far as is
reasonably practicable, be made and kept safe for any person working there.
• Where any person has to work at a place from which he will be liable to fall a distance more than 2 metres, then, unless the place is one which affords secure foot-hold, where necessary secure hand-hold , means shall be provided, so far as is reasonably practicable, by fencing or otherwise, for ensuring his safety.
• No machine with a travelling or swivelling carriage shall be so placed that a person would be liable to be trapped between that carriage and any fixed object or part of the building - unless access
to the trapping point is prevented by secure fencing.

Article 7

The Minister for Labour and Social Affairs may exempt from he requirements of this Order premises, or part of any premises, and any process, machinery or plant if he is satisfied that the requirements are unnecessary or inappropriate.

Article 8

Article 1 of the above mentioned Order No. 29/1976 made by the Minister for Labour and Social Affairs shall be revoked.

Article 9

This Order shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall be effective after 3 months from the date of its publication.

Minister for Labour and Social Affairs,
Isa Bin Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al Kahlifa
Dated: 6th November, 1977