KSA construction productivity falls by 40%
Summer heat and Ramadan affecting projects across the country, contractors say
RELATED ARTICLES: Saudi contractors to be reimbursed for expat labour levy | Saudi mid-day break rule introduced | Labour reforms to continue hurting KSA construction market
Soaring summer temperatures and Ramadan have caused productivity in Saudi Arabia to fall by as much as 40% across the country, with a number of projects delayed.
Construction experts in the Kingdom have said that output has dropped because workers are not allowed to work from 12PM to 3PM, resulting in many projects being delayed. Furthermore, working at night has been hampered in cities like Jeddah, where there is a ban on heavy trucks on major roads because of heavy Ramadan traffic.
The major projects affected are the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, the Haramain High Speed Rail project in Jeddah and Makkah, the King Abdulaziz International Airport project in Jeddah, and infrastructure and developmental projects in Jeddah, Makkah and other places.
“The rising temperature in recent days has affected our projects in the city,” Mohammed Mazhar, a senior official executing mega projects in Makkah, said.
“Soaring temperatures are definitely affecting the construction industry. Laborers cannot work at the same pace at this time because they have to battle the heat,” he added.
The sale of concrete mixture, the main ingredient for construction work, has declined drastically over the past few weeks because of the lower productivity, said a senior executive of a leading company selling the product in Jeddah, who preferred to remain anonymous.
He added that some of the construction companies have not been able to pay their workers because of the slowdown over this period. Contractors who carry out maintenance and minor construction jobs are looking for workers but are not able to find any during the day, the senior executive pointed out.
Meanwhile, Labour Ministry officials said that special inspection teams are checking to see whether companies are complying with the midday ban. The ministry has registered 187 cases against errant employers who forced their workers to work under the blazing sun. Last year it registered 280 violations. The ban will remain in place until September 15, 2014.
