The King Saud Medical City here has urged the public to take precautionary measures against the current heat wave and not to be exposed directly to the sun. Dr. Yousef Al-Omran, the co-executive director of the primary health care and community health department at the Medical City, noted that heat strokes are life-threatening because the human body experiences a significant drop in fluids. While urging people to drink more water, he cautioned them against leaving children unattended in parked cars under the direct sun, even for a short period. The lack of ventilation could cause heat strokes, he said, while pointing out that the Medical City was ready to deal with such cases. The public needs to be wary of the high temperatures over most parts of the Kingdom, which hovers around 45 degrees centigrade. Every year, the Labor and Social Development Ministry imposes a three-month ban on midday work, from June 15 to September 15. Under the ban, employers have been asked to prevent their workers from working under the sun from 12 pm to 3 pm during the summer months when temperatures can soar to 50 degrees. The employers are held responsible for the safety of their workers and are liable to protect them from heat-related ailments.
