DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s key occupational safety and health body is partnering with a Singaporean research center to develop tools and strategies to protect workers from increasing heat risks in the region.
Workplace safety and health risks are rising worldwide as heatwaves become more frequent and intense due to global warming and climate change.
Addressing these threats is part of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to modernizing labor standards and fostering a safer, more productive workforce under the Kingdom’s broader Vision 2030 reforms.
To strengthen the capability of managing workplace risks associated with high temperatures, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has teamed up with the Heat Resilience and Performance Centre at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
“Heat stress is not only a health risk — it is also linked to increased workplace accidents and injuries ... Effective management of heat stress contributes to safer work environments, reduces incident rates, and improves productivity, benefitting both employees and employers,” NCOSH Secretary-General Majed Alfuwaiz told Arab News.
“The Heat Resilience and Performance Centre in Singapore is recognized as a regional center of excellence ... with a distinguished record of integrating technology, science, and policy. Their comprehensive model — including physiological monitoring, digital tools, and workforce training — provides a strong foundation that can be adapted to meet the Kingdom’s specific needs.”
The cooperation agreement with the Singaporean center was signed during the Global Occupational Safety and Health Conference hosted in Riyadh last week.
“Given the Kingdom’s diverse climate — from high heat and humidity in coastal and desert areas to cooler summer temperatures in southern highlands such as Abha and Al-Baha — adaptive, evidence-based approaches are essential to designing effective interventions that reflect the environmental and geographic characteristics of each region,” Alfuwaiz said.
“As the Kingdom progresses with its giga-projects under Vision 2030, safeguarding worker health and performance is a national priority.”
Saudi Arabia’s labor market has been expanding rapidly, with the construction sector fueled by Vision 2030 giga-projects such as NEOM, Qiddiya, and the Red Sea Project. About 2 million people are employed in the industry, and many more are likely to find jobs in the coming years as the Kingdom prepares to host several major international events: the AFC Asian Cup in 2027, Asian Winter Games in 2029, World Expo in 2030, and FIFA World Cup in 2034.
The World Cup alone will involve the renovation and construction of 15 stadiums in five cities, along with transport networks and hotel infrastructure.
The Saudi-Singaporean collaboration in heat resilience will focus on policy and regulatory frameworks related to occupational heat exposure and developing standards and interventions.
Dr. Jason Lee, associate professor at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine who leads the HRPC, said that while the Saudi regulator will tap into Singaporean expertise in heat resilience, researchers will be able to “gain insights on how NCOSH supports mega-infrastructure projects with many workers under heat stress, potentially paving opportunities to develop and scale solutions to better safeguard lives and livelihoods.”
In the long term, the cooperation plan includes establishing a regional center of excellence in heat resilience for the Middle East and North Africa.
“The Heat Resilience and Performance Centre will first determine specific research and educational activities related to heat resilience with our partners from the Kingdom, sharing, learning, and tapping into each other’s strengths towards a common goal that is to heat-proof our people in this warming world,” Lee said.
“Extreme heat is beyond morbidity and mortality. In many parts of the world, chronic heat exposure significantly suppresses human health and potential ... Becoming heat resilient is ever so important if you want to thrive prospectively.”
