"Gulf ‘Giga Projects’ are heightening risks for workers in sand supply chains, finds new report", 16 July 2026

A new report from IHRB's Gulf Sustain initiative identifies how geopolitics, reliance on migrant labour and governance gaps in sand supply chains in the Gulf region are putting workers at risk ...

Mapping Sand Supply Chains in the Gulf Region...finds that major infrastructure projects across the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are driving a demand for sand that is outpacing governance oversight, creating risks for workers, with implications for global companies...

The report identifies three primary labour and social risks at different stages of the sand supply chain:

• Complex subcontracting arrangements obscure oversight, driving a risk of worker exploitation at the construction stage.
• Exposure to silica dust and extreme heat present health risks at the processing and transportation stages.
• A governance vacuum enables the operation of illicit trade networks at the extraction stage.

The research concludes that a sand governance gap - combined with geopolitical tensions and a reliance on migrant workforces and subcontracting arrangements - contributes to a ‘complex risk environment’.

It makes practical recommendations to companies, including aligning proactive supply-chain governance...with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. To achieve this, it identifies technological traceability tools that can identify high-risk suppliers...