9-10 May 2023

International Conference on Occupational Heat Stress: “Implementation of Practices, Sharing of Experiences”

The event will bring together selected governments, social partners, academics, and practitioners from the Arab States and around the world, to discuss and share expertise on heat stress research, and design of mitigation strategies, policies, and legislation.

Background:

The challenges of working on an increasingly warmer planet, evident to the scientific community for decades already, are increasingly entering the political discourse. Increasing global temperatures have affected workers in many parts of the world, elevating the risk of occupational heat‐related illnesses and injuries, and making heat stress more common in duration, frequency, and intensity.

In the Arab region and in many parts of the world, workers are exposed to hot and humid conditions, and under intense solar radiation. This mix of factors can cause significant heat strain – a term used to describe the physiological effect on the body caused by environmental and occupational heat stress.

While some countries have already introduced steps to mitigate occupational heat stress, others are now in the process of considering the different regulatory and practical measures that may work best given their national circumstances.

This conference is expected to promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences on the impact of heat stress on workers, present and future mitigation measures, as well as challenges and opportunities for the design and implementation of heat stress mitigation approaches. It will provide the space for experts from different regions around the world to discuss the current state of research on the subject, present the lessons learned from the implementation of relevant legislation in the recent years, and explore ways to expand protections for the affected workers.

Conclusions and recommendations:

Download the conclusions and recommendations

Agenda:

Download the agenda

Virtual library

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Setting the scene at the global level
  • Working on a warmer planet: findings from ILO’s global report on occupational heat stress: Ms Catherine Saget, Chief of Work Income and Equity Unit, ILO - Presentation
  • Occupational heat stress: What do we know and what do we need to do? Dr Manal Azzi, Global Team Lead on Occupational Safety and Health, ILO - Presentation
  • Research to Change, Policy and Practice: Mr Jason Glaser, CEO of La Isla Network - Presentation
Sharing experiences from Qatar
  • Research undertaken to gather evidence needed to address occupational heat stress: Dr Andreas Flouris, FAME Lab, University of Thessaly, Greece - Presentation
  • Qatar’s Occupational heat stress legislation and enforcement: Mr Zayed Souhail Al Mazrooui, Head of the Occupational Safety and Health Section, Ministry of Labour, Qatar - Presentation
  • National experiences on the prevention of, and mitigation measures against heat stress related hazards: Sheikh Dr Mohammed Al Thani, Director of Public Health Department, Minister of Public Health, Qatar - Presentation
  • Monitoring cases of heat stress over the years: Dr Hasan Ali Kasem, Chief Medical Officer, Medical Affairs Division, Qatar Red Crescent - Presentation
Sharing international experiences
  • Experiences from Singapore and Southeast Asia: Dr Jason Lee Kai Wei, National University of Singapore - Presentation
  • Excessive heat at the workplace: the EU case, Mr David Garcia Leon, Joint Research Centre (Seville, Spain), European Commission - Presentation
  • Findings from heat stress studies, Dr Vidhya Venugopal, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, India - Presentation
Sharing international experiences
  • Policy responses to Occupational Heat Stress at IMSS, MD. Gabriel Alejandro Real Ornelas, Occupational Health Technical Coordinator, Directorate of Economic and Social Benefits, Mexico - Presentation
  • Developing an integrated protection framework to address Occupational Heat Stress in Greece, Dr George A. Gourzoulidis, Measurements Centre of OHS Hazardous Agents, Hellenic Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Greece - Presentation
  • Professor Dr Rajen Naidoo, Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - Presentation

Participants:

  • Government of Qatar and relevant institutions in Qatar;
  • Selected governments and social partners in the GCC and Arab States;
  • International experts and academia;
  • UN agencies, international organizations, and diplomatic community in Qatar.

Venue:

The Conference will be held at the Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel.

Languages:

The meeting will take place in English and Arabic, with simultaneous interpretation.