Engagement to enhance workers' welfare

In continued efforts to ensure effective healthcare management of workers, as at December 2022, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Workers’ Welfare Department (WWD) completed 43,726 comprehensive medical screenings. These mandatory screenings were highly beneficial in detecting health issues as early as possible among workers and identifying high-risk individuals to provide them with the necessary treatment plan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these screenings also became pivotal in identifying high-risk workers, enabling the SC WWD to provide them with the necessary protection and support.

A dedicated cardiac pathway, in partnership with Hamad Heart Hospital – a local heart specialist hospital – was also established to carry out cardio-related evaluations and treatment of high-risk workers.

The SC WWD also partnered with The Phoenix Partnership (TPP) – a UK-based clinical software company - to establish a system of integrated electronic medical records, which provided continuity of healthcare and empowered workers to better understand and manage their health. This was a first-of-its-kind healthcare project on a major construction programme in the region. All medical information was treated with the utmost confidentiality, with accessibility limited to individual workers and authorised medical staff. As at December 2022, 111,840 workers were registered with the electronic medical records system. To support legacy, this system continues to be available for all workers who remain in Qatar post-tournament.

The SC WWD collaborated with Qatar International Safety Centre (QISC), to deliver a comprehensive training and up-skilling programme for its workforce. Courses were delivered in multiple languages to develop workers’ technical and soft skills and their professional qualifications so that they were well-equipped for the future.

Between 2017, when the programme was established, and December 2022, the SC WWD delivered the following courses on the following topics to over 23,500 workers and contractor staff:

• Workers’ Welfare Induction: 10,802

• Occupational Health and Safety Training for Workers’ (OHS) – workers and medical staff: 10,541

• Workers’ Representatives: 546

• OHS Trade-Specific: 472

• Legionella, Mould and other Toxins in accommodation: 34

• First-Aid Award (FAA) accredited First Aid for Mental Health Level 3’ Training: 50

• Bus Transportation Safety Awareness: 266

• Basic Life Support: 278

• Food Hygiene / Highfield Levels 2 & 3: 12

• Medical Requirements: 196

• Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS) Leadership: 3

• Heat Stress Management: 82

• Mental Health Awareness for WWOs: 46

• Effective Communication: 139

• Financial Literacy: 54

• Nutrition Awareness: 34

The SC WWD also trained 1,269 workers’ welfare officers on the Workers’ Welfare IT Platform and invested in workers’ representatives training, engaging QISC and partnering with Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) and International Labour Organization (ILO), to equip nearly 1,000 workers with skills in leadership, conflict resolution, negotiation and communication as at December 2022. Elected representatives played an important role in amplifying workers’ voices and advocating for worker’s rights via Workers’ Welfare Forums.

The SC WWD also established a partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health’s (MOPH) National Mental Health Office and the Mental Health Service at Hamad Medical Corporation to support workers’ mental health through a dedicated mental health care pathway. The pathway improved workers’ access to mental health services including efficient diagnosis, care and treatment by upskilling frontline clinicians, removing cost barriers and building awareness of mental health to reduce stigma.

Beginning in February 2020, each year dozens of clinicians were trained across SC WWD sites and accommodations on administering targeted mental health screenings for workers. The initiative also provided dedicated mental health clinics with free consultation and treatment for SC workers – the first of its kind in Qatar. As at December 2022, a total of 8,520 workers received mental health screenings.

To aid the wellbeing of workers during the summer months, an innovative technology - called ‘StayQool suits’ (specifically designed to combat heat stress) was deployed for workers on SC sites. StayQool reduces thermal skin temperature by up to 8°C, making workers more comfortable in hot weather. In surveys, 96% of workers reported feeling more comfortable wearing the StayQool suit over previous workwear and 97% agreed that they felt better at the end of the day.

By 2022, over 51,000 StayQool suits and 5,000 cooling vests had been deployed for workers across tournament-related projects, along with 13,000 balaclavas which cool the head and enhance air quality by filtering out dust. A total of 600 StayQool suits and balaclavas were also distributed to the waste segregation workforce deployed across stadiums to protect them from the hotter temperatures during the day.

In parallel, the SC also worked with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) to develop smart sensors that can be integrated into the StayQool suit. These sensors will provide new levels of health and safety-related data to enhance the suit’s impact. StayQool will play an important role in continuing the legacy of workers’ welfare after the tournament.