A digital thermometer at a local bank here has become a source of argument between the bank employees and the Civil Service Ministry and Labor Office after it displayed a temperature of 59 degrees Centigrade at 11:40 A.M. Saturday. The Analyses and Forecasts Center at the Presidency for Meteorology and the Environment (PME) announced an expected maximum temperature of 44 degrees Centigrade. However, Sami Muhammad Akif, manager of the bank, vouched for the efficiency of the thermometer, which he said underwent periodic maintenance. Dr. Saad Al-Mahlafi, Undersecretary of the PME, admitted that the temperature reading was correct. He said the outdoor temperature in Madina often shoots up to 60 degrees Centigrade as the city is surrounded by volcanic rocks. He said the temperature announced officially by the presidency is the air temperature under the shade, as the thermometer is kept in a box and is two meters above the ground. But he stressed that keeping the temperature monitoring equipment under the direct sun was against the norms followed in weather monitoring worldwide. Rejecting appeals for a holiday, Muhammad Sulaiman Bin Hasaan, Director of Madina branch of the Ministry of Civil Service, said the Labor Office is responsible for announcing a public holiday for workers. The Ministry of Labor has prohibited working in sun-exposed conditions from midday to 3 P.M. during the months of July and August. The new regulations, which come into effect in 2011, exempt oil and gas company staff and emergency maintenance workers, while stipulating that they must adhere to procedures governing protection from sunlight. The Ministry of Labor reiterated Article 236 of the Labor Law which penalizes violations with “a fine of between SR3,000 and SR10, 000 and/or closure of the facility for a minimum of 30 days – or permanently”. – Okaz/SG According to Deputy Minister of Labor Abdul Wahed Al-Humaid, the decision complies with international labor standards on the protection of workers and the provision of a healthy and safe professional working environment. “Through the move the ministry wishes to implement the Labor Law articles governing health and safety,” Al-Humaid said. “The ministry has given companies the period of a year before its introduction so they can prepare ahead, and we hope employers comply with the decision and recognize its economic, social and humanitarian importance.”
