Health Ministry official and spokesman Dr. Ahmad Al-Shatti said that the increasing temperature this summer had negative effects on employees, especially those working under direct sun exposure like construction workers and so on. Those working in the heat outside are at a high risk of dehydration and hikes ing body temperature, which leads to incidents of loss of consciousness and other symptoms, said the Dr. Al-Shatti who warned that if left untreated, it might prove fatal.
Al-Shatti noted that this year at the Al-Shuaiba health clinic, there were between 400 to 500 cases of heat stroke among construction workers and emergency staff, which gave an indication of how serious the matter was. He added that the state of Kuwait was carrying out measures to ensure the safety of workers, especially those who toil under direct sun exposure.
He pointed out that Kuwait had recently held the 5th GCC Worker Safety and Healthcare conference to discuss the matter in more detail at the regional level. Al-Shatti warned that it was not just outdoor workers but those working indoors could also suffer heat strokes from the record high temperatures that Kuwait was experiencing. He cautioned everyone to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoid direct sun exposure.
Heat and exhaustion, in general, have profound effects on the brain and neurological system, leading to an increase of stress-inducing hormones and other ill effects, said Dr. Nadia Al-Hamdan, professor of psychology at Kuwait University (KU).
She added that the increasing heat leads to reactions, which might not be preferable at the workplace and people should make sure that the current weather pattern did not dictate how they behaved with others. Employees should try to compose themselves regardless of the situation and avoid conflicts as much as they can, she stressed.
Providing further academic input, KU’s social services professor Dr. Hadi Ashkanani called for additional and thorough studies on the link between heat and negative behavior among people, and to find ways to help people avoid such behavior.
