254 companies violated mid-day break in Oman

Muscat: More than 250 companies violated the mid-day break, a Ministry of Manpower official said.
“During the last three months, 2,332 visits were made to inspect mid-day break violations. We found 254 companies violating the mid-day break,” the official said.
According to a data provided by the ministry to Times of Oman, in June 165 companies violated the rule, in July 71 and in August 18.
Starting from June 1 until August 31, a mid-day break was announced for those working in open areas and elevated areas.
On June 1, the ministry called upon establishments and private sector institutions to abide by the provisions of Article 16 of the occupational safety and health regulations, which state that workers must not work at construction sites or in open and elevated areas from 12:30pm to 3:30pm during June, July and August.
In 2015, 391 companies were warned by the ministry for violating the mid-day break rule for outdoor workers in Oman which included 138 businesses in Amerat, 122 in Seeb, 98 in Bausher and 33 in Muttrah.
According to the Article 118 of the Oman Labour Law, violators can be penalised with fines ranging from OMR100 to OMR500, or a jail term of not more than one month, or both. The penalty is doubled for repeat violations.