Health & Safety

Comprehensive inspections at construction sites and accommodations continued during the reporting period to maintain regulations and standards covering medical care, emergency response, dining arrangements, fire protection, infrastructure and facilities management, sanitation and safe drinking water.

During 2021, health and safety inspections extended to the hospitality sector as part of the WWD’s ongoing expansion. Follow-up inspections revealed significant improvements in enhancing welfare and medical facilities, reflecting hotel operators’ commitment to provide a consistently safe and healthy work environment.

In 2021, the MoL implemented a new ministerial decree that extended the summer working regulations by six weeks from 1 June to 15 September, with work not allowed in outdoor spaces between 10:00 to 15:30. The decree also mandates that work in outdoor spaces must stop if the temperature index of the Wet Bulb Global Gauge (WBGT) exceeds 32.1C, regardless of the time. The WWD H&S team monitors the levels of climatic conditions in the workplace on a daily basis and ensures contractors are complying with the summer legislation. During 2021, eight violations were reported to the MoL.

Comprehensive medical screening

The WWS mandate annual comprehensive medical screenings for all workers that help to detect health issues as early as possible and provide accurate, effective healthcare plans for workers. The programme, launched in 2018 in partnership with Qatar Red Crescent, has been renewed with new healthcare providers, Occumed and KIMS. A total of 40,687 comprehensive medical screenings have been delivered to date.

Under the current Occumed and KIMS partnership, a secondary cardio-specific evaluation was carried out on 127 workers, following which no serious cardiovascular treatment has been required.

In 2021, we also continued our partnership with UK-based The Phoenix Partnership (TPP) for a system of integrated electronic medical records, which provides continuity of healthcare and empowers workers to better understand and manage their health. 

COVID-19 Activities

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to present a challenge for countries across the globe. The SC’s early response and proactive approach to the pandemic was effective in minimising the spread of infections amongst the workforce throughout the reporting period. The existing audit and inspection framework, which includes site welfare inspections, proved to be crucial in monitoring the implementation of COVID-19 preventative measures and we have built on past experience to curb infections on the programme.

By the end of the reporting period, 16,742 workers on the programme received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna). The WWD has also initiated the registration of workers for the third dose.

Watch to learn more about the SC’s COVID-19 response:

SC-BWI Joint Working Group

Under a Cooperation Agreement signed in 2016 and renewed annually, the SC-BWI Joint Working Group (JWG) was established to ensure that workers on stadium sites are protected by rigorous health and safety measures as mandated in the WWS. The partnership has been extended to 2022. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, one on-the-ground JWG inspection took place during the reporting year in October 2021. The team inspected Lusail Stadium and Stadium 974 sites, together with their respective accommodations, and attended two WWFs.

The JWG also conducted two WR training sessions: one at Lusail Stadium and, for the first time within the hospitality sector, one at La Cigale Hotel, as part of the WWD’s expanded remit. JWG findings are published annually in a publicly available report, the fifth edition of which will be published in June 2022.