Construction sites across the country had a ghostly feel between 12.30pm and 3pm yesterday, as companies complied with the midday-break rule.
Sites in Al Barsha, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai Marina and Al Quoz all appeared to be sticking to the Ministry of Labour regulations, as did roadside work on Sheikh Zayed Road and at Dubai Media City.
Sites in Abu Dhabi also appeared to be obeying the rules, which came into force on Friday.
There was work at one site in Al Barsha, where a few labourers were trying to shift a water tank into a pickup van so it could be moved to another site.
But when asked, the men said it was a temporary job and their company had given them plenty of rest.
In Abu Dhabi, eight men were laying asphalt at 2pm at the base of Etihad Towers. Workers who lay asphalt or pour cement are exempt from the full break .
"If we don't lay it, it will get cold," said one worker. "We have to work. We'll finish this one, and then there will be no problem."
The men are provided with cold drinks throughout their shift, said Yasser Mohd, the supervisor.
"We give them water, Pepsi - everything," he said.
Mr Mohd said the men would not always work through the hottest part of the day. "If you come back tomorrow, you won't see anyone out here at this time," he said.
Other than these two examples, at the height of the searing heat there was not a worker to be seen - or at least, not working.
Sitting in overalls beside a friend near the intersection of 11th and 30th streets in Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi, the Bangladeshi Mohammed Islam, 50, who has worked in the UAE for 22 years, said the conditions were "adequate", adding, "we have water, and we took salt [tablets]".
Despite the temperature peaking at 45.5°C about 1pm according to the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology, Mr Islam was able to take a long nap, lying on top of his fluorescent work jacket.
Some others were less comfortable, despite the break.
"They [the companies] don't give you anything," said one carpenter working in the same area. "It's very hot. It's too much of a problem."
But he said nobody on the site had suffered any heat-related illnesses and workers felt confident that if they had problems, they would be looked after.
He added: "We have medical cards so there is no problem."
The eagerness of companies to comply with the rule - which guarantees shaded rest places during the hottest hours of the day and overtime wages for any labourer working more than eight hours - may have had something to do with the Ministry of Labour's strict new approach.
Companies who break the rule now face a Dh15,000 fine - Dh5,000 more than last year.
Repeat offenders will not be allowed to hire new workers or issue new labour cards.
To enforce the rules, the ministry plans to conduct 60,000 inspections and 20,000 awareness visits. Nineteen inspection teams will conduct daily awareness visits between 10.30am and 12.30pm.
At a site in Dubai Marina, Mohammed Shams Ul Haq, a mason from Bangladesh, said he had been told not to work.
"We have given a facility to sleep in the underground room during the rest period," Mr Ul Haq said.
"None of us are working from 12.30pm to 3pm.
"It is a good system, though it should have started much earlier - at the start of June itself."
Another worker, Shyam Sundar, from India, said that before the midday-break rule came in on Friday workers had been struggling to work in the hottest part of the day.
"This year the heat looks too bad," Mr Sundar said. "We are getting tired easily. The labour ministry should see that no one flouts the rule. It is most important."
Habtoor Leighton Group, a UAE-based contracting company, said it was following all the of regulations to provide rest.
No breaches of the regulation had yet been reported, said Essa Al Zarouni, director of inspections at the Ministry of Labour in Dubai.
"We will continue to inspect the sites until mid-September and offenders will be punished," said Mr Al Zarouni.
The break was introduced in 2005 when workers were given time off between 12.30 and 4pm during July and August. This was shortened by an hour the following year.
The break period will continue this year until September 15.
zalhassani@thenational.ae
