Leveraging the World Cup: Mega Sporting Events, Human Rights Risk, and Worker Welfare Reform in Qatar

Ganji, Sarath K.

doi:10.14240/jmhs.v4i4.69

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Nepali workers have often found themselves the subject of these inquiries. Nonetheless, in line with studies that report some ‘creeping reforms’ to the kafala over the past few years (Ganji, 2016; Jureidini, 2019, p. 342), during my fieldwork, Nepalis mentioned gradual improvements to working conditions and also that Qatar had become more ‘open’. They explained changes in terms of men and women being able to socialize together in public spaces, more flexibility with regard to changing jobs, holding their own passports, salaries being paid on time and outdoor work during summer being carried out during the night when it would be cooler than in the day.…”

Section: Context Of Nepali Migration To Qatarsupporting

confidence: 75%

‘A life path different from one of labour in the Gulf’: Ongoing mobility among Nepali labour migrants in Qatar and their families

Limbu

2022

Global Networks

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Labour migration is commonly attached to the idea of a 'better' future for the migrants and their families, but there is less emphasis on how this does not materialize for many labour migrants. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among Nepalis working in Qatar and select families in Nepal, this article focuses on the intergenerational migration cycle or migration as open-ended and ongoing across generations. While the Gulf migration scholarship has mostly concentrated on lowskilled workers, I draw on the cases of migrants across different skill/income levels to show how the migrants' and/or families' desires for 'ongoing mobility' to the Gulf or the West panned out differently. I argue that despite wanting a different and better life path for the future generation, one unlike theirs of labour in the Gulf, many Gulf migrants are unable to meet these familial expectations; rather, migration histories repeat in a continual quest to overcome economic constraints.

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Section: Context Of Nepali Migration To Qatarsupporting

confidence: 75%

‘A life path different from one of labour in the Gulf’: Ongoing mobility among Nepali labour migrants in Qatar and their families

Limbu

2022

Global Networks

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“…In recent days, the death of construction workers working in the construction of a stadium for football World Cup 2022 has attracted the attention of a large number of media and international organizations. Some of these reports show the number of construction workers died at this project have already reached to 1,200, and further estimates that this number will reach to 4,000 by the end of 2020 when this project will be completed (safety Media, 2018;ITUC, 2014;Ganji, 2016). The Human Rights Watch report indicates that the total workforce in Qatar is approximately two million, and 95% of this workforce are expatriates out of which 800,000 (540%) are employed in the construction sector (Human Rights Watch, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of drones for safety inspection in the Gulf Cooperation Council construction

Umar

2020

ECAM

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Purposeconstruction industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries is at the peak as the region is in the stage of developing its infrastructures. Apart from some positive sign of this boost, several other issues have also been developed in the region. One of such issues is the safety of workers at the construction sites. This article, based on a variety of applications of drones in other industrial sectors, considers the use of drones for construction safety improvement in the GCC countries. This article aimed to investigate the safety-related applications of drones considering technical features and barriers and enablers for safety-related tasks.Design/methodology/approachA mixed research approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods was adopted to achieve the aims and objectives of this research. Data were collected through a systematic literature review, semistructured interviews and using a structured questionnaire. A total of 37 relevant research items and 10 interviews were held with construction safety professionals, and 92 responses collected from the safety managers through a structured questionnaire was used to derive the conclusion of this research. The collected data were processed and analyzed using the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) program. Descriptive analyses were carried out in which means and importance factors were calculated.Findings25.92% of participants confirmed that they or their company had used the drone in different activates. The most common application of drones reported by the respondents was photography for marketing purposes followed by surveying application and quality inspections. The camera movability was the top-rated technical feature required for safety-related inspections. Similarly, “Working near the corner or edge of unprotected opening” was the top-rated application of drone for safety-related tasks. The safety concerns of using drones at job sites were rated as the most important barrier by the participants. Technical challenges associated with the use of drones for safety improvement was rated as the second most important barrier by the participants.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough, the research presented in this article is based on the GCC construction industry, however, since the data collected through systematic review and semistructured interviews are not a regional base, therefore the finding of this research could also be useful in other regions. Further research however, needs to be conducted to reduce the implications of the barriers identified in this paper so that the drone can be effectively used for safety improvement in construction not only in the GCC region but also in other countries.Practical implicationsOnce the GCC construction industry will be able to overcome the challenges associated with the application of drones in safety improvement, the safety managers will be able to monitor the site more effectively which could be helpful to improve the safety performance of the construction organization.Social implicationsImproved safety performance in not only in the greater interest of the construction organizations as they can reduce the costs associated with poor safety but can also avoid the delay caused by construction accidents. Similarly, improved safety performance reduces the accidents at construction sites, and thus reduces injuries and disabilities caused by such accidents, making the construction workers a useful part of the society. The application of drones in safety-related tasks is one of the key solutions that can lead us to improved safety performance.Originality/valueAlthough, the use of drone technology has revolutionized a number of industrial sectors due to its variety of applications, the application in construction particularly in the GCC region is still very limited. As noted in the results of this research, only 21 participants (25.92%) expressed that they or their company had used the drone in different activates. This means that the industry is not getting the full advantage of the available drone technology. The results of this research will enable construction industry stakeholders to know the challenges associated with the application of drones for safety improvement and to develop strategies to overcome these challenges.

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“…Some of the reports show the number of construction workers that died in this project has already reached 1200. Several estimates predicting the number of deaths will reach 4,000 by the end of 2022 when the project will be completed (SM, 2018;ITUC, 2014;Ganji, 2016;Umar et al, 2019-b). If the costs of these accidents are estimated on the assumption that fatality costs in UK and Qatar are the same (~US$ 1,870,437), 1200 fatalities will result in a total cost of US$ 2,245 Million.…”

Section: Cost Of Accidents In Qatarmentioning

confidence: 99%

The costs of accidents in Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia construction industry

Umar¹

2021

IJSRECE

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Considering the construction projects and the current status of occupational safety in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, this article attempts to estimate the costs of accidents in construction. The parameters used in these estimates include the values of the current projects in the three main countries including Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia; and the amount disbursed by the government organizations against injuries, disabilities, and deaths. The total costs of an accident in Oman are estimated at US$ 415,620 with an economic burden of US$ 205.73 Million/year. In Saudi Arabia, the costs of an accident are estimated at US$ 91,940, while the economic burden of the Saudi economy is estimated at US$ 261.11 Million/year.Similarly, the costs of an accident in the Qatari construction industry stand at US$ 205,526.The costs of an accident in these countries are quite higher than the costs in the USA, UK, AUS, and SA.

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Leveraging the World Cup: Mega Sporting Events, Human Rights Risk, and Worker Welfare Reform in Qatar

Cited by 11 publications

References 9 publications

‘A life path different from one of labour in the Gulf’: Ongoing mobility among Nepali labour migrants in Qatar and their families

‘A life path different from one of labour in the Gulf’: Ongoing mobility among Nepali labour migrants in Qatar and their families

Applications of drones for safety inspection in the Gulf Cooperation Council construction

The costs of accidents in Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia construction industry

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