Qatar World Cup construction puts the spotlight on worker safety
In 2020 the Guardian newspaper published an article reporting the shocking figure of 6,500 migrant workers killed in Qatar since the country was awarded the 2022 World Cup.
The real number, however, is much, much higher – these figures do not include deaths from several countries which send large numbers of workers to Qatar, including the Philippines and Kenya. Deaths that occurred in the final months of 2020 are also not included.
Officially, Qatar has only reported three deaths during the construction projects, it only counts those who have died directly from construction work, classing all other fatalities as “non-work related” and “natural deaths”.
Analysis of deaths shows that the most common cause of death by far is acute heart or respiratory failure, which is attributed to long working hours in extreme heat to meet the deadlines for the colossal project.
Migrant labourers working outdoors in Qatar face “high” or “extreme” risk of heat stress for more than half the working day during the four hottest months of the year, according to a UN Report that documented an assessment of occupational heat strain and mitigation strategies in Qatar.
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