January 13, 2015
By Jeddah: Galal Fakkar
The Ministry of Labor (click here) has ordered private sector employers to provide protection for their workers against the cold weather sweeping the country including warm clothing and instructions on how to keep safe.
The ministry wants to prevent work-related accidents in line with labor regulations, sources were quoted as saying, in response to a statement posted by the ministry on its website.
The sources said the ministry has provided extensive information on safety awareness on its online websites, including the protection of property and goods. It wants to develop a culture of safety in the country.
The ministry plans to conduct inspections to check whether employers comply with the directive and the regulations. Penalties for non-compliance are set out under Article 236 of the labor regulations, the sources said.
The ministry’s regulations for public and private companies are in line with international labor standards, the sources said....
13 January 2015
By Qatlf, Arab News
Farmers in the Eastern Province (click here) say they have lost 40 percent of their crops because of the sandstorms last week, with fears that the cold snap over the past few days would cause further losses.
Abbas Dahi, an investor, said most of the farms in the Eastern Province were affected because the dust destroyed the produce-bearing flowers on plants and trees.
He said it is expensive to counteract the sandstorms because large amounts of water is needed to wash off the plants and trees. Most farmers prefer to leave them covered with dust until they wither and die, or grow again.
Dahi said open fields have been affected, not greenhouses. Removing damaged trees takes time and increases production costs, especially now because of the cold weather. The best option for farmers is to leave their crops as they are, he said....
