Saudi midday work ban to begin next week – report

Saudi Arabia’s midday ban on working under the sun will begin on Thursday June 15, according to reports.

Local daily Al-Hayat cited a labour ministry spokesperson as confirming the start of the ban, which will last for 93 days until September 15.

Under the decision, no worker should be made to work under the sun from 12:00pm to 3:00pm during the summer months when temperatures can reach as high as 50 degrees celsius.

Companies will be punished if found in violation of the ban by inspectors with fines ranging between SAR3,000 ($800) and SAR10,000 ($2,666) as well as the closure of the business for 30 days.

The decision does not cover all of Saudi Arabia’s governorates as midday temperatures are deemed not to pose a risk to workers in some parts of the country.

The spokesperson was quoted as saying the ministry would coordinate with local authorities to determine which regions should abide by the decision.

In the last three years, the labour ministry saw a decrease in the number of violations to the ban. When it was first introduced in 2014 there were 3,904 violations.