As of tomorrow, Monday, June 15, 2026, Resolution No. (5) of 2026 will come into effect regulating the noon work ban during the summer period, which lasts from June 15 to August 31, 2026, as the decision prohibits the employment of workers in open spaces under the sun from twelve noon to four p.m.
Implementing the decision comes within the framework of ongoing efforts to maintain a safe work environment, protect workers and ensure their safety from heat stress, sunstroke, and the dangers of summer diseases, and reduce occupational accidents during this period of the year, during which the country witnesses a noticeable rise in temperatures and humidity levels.
In conjunction with the entry into force of the work ban decision, the Ministry of Labor prepared a plan that includes holding a number of educational workshops with the participation of occupational safety officials and supervisors in private sector establishments, and disseminating guidance materials and other awareness messages directed to workers regarding the necessary measures to prevent the complications of heat stress and the dangers of exposure to direct sunlight at noon.
The Ministry of Labor has designated the number (17873921) for telephone communication during the period from seven in the morning until four in the afternoon, seven days a week, or via correspondence via the WhatsApp application on the same number to enable community members to report any observations or violations during the work ban period.
Anyone who violates the provisions of this decision shall be punished with the penalties stipulated in Article (192) of the Private Sector Labor Law, promulgated by Law No. (36) of 2012, which states: “Anyone who violates any of the provisions of Chapter Fifteen and the decisions issued in implementation thereof shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months, and a fine of not less than five hundred dinars and not more than one thousand dinars, or one of these two penalties.” The penalty shall be multiplied by the number of workers against whom the violation occurred, and the penalty shall be doubled if it is repeated.
For his part, Engineer Mustafa Aqeel Al-Sheikh, Director of the Occupational Inspection and Safety Department at the Ministry of Labor, confirmed that the decision to regulate the work ban during the summer period comes within the framework of strengthening the response system aimed at protecting the safety and health of workers in various work sites.
He explained in television statements that the decision includes a number of aspects that contribute to enhancing protection for workers, the most prominent of which is obliging employers to take a set of measures for the groups excluded from the application of the ban, which include reducing working hours, adopting a system of shifts and rotating workers whenever possible, in addition to providing mechanisms that ensure rapid access to the necessary medical assistance in the event that workers are exposed to heat exhaustion, sunstroke, or other diseases associated with high temperatures.
Regarding the general policy adopted by the Ministry of Labor to ensure the implementation of the decision, he pointed out that the Ministry is working according to an approach consistent with the eighth goal of the sustainable development goals related to decent work and economic growth, stressing that the Ministry is focusing on consolidating the principles of proactive protection before the entry into force of the ban period by intensifying awareness and guidance programs in cooperation with government agencies, employers in the private sector, civil society institutions and relevant parties.
He added that the Ministry, with the start of implementing the decision, is implementing an integrated monitoring plan to monitor the extent of employers’ compliance with the provisions of the ban, which includes inventorying construction work sites in advance and intensifying inspection visits to them during the ban period, as well as distributing publications and guidance materials in multiple languages to help workers and work supervisors follow the best preventive practices and avoid diseases associated with the summer season.
He stressed that these efforts aim to provide a safe and healthy work environment for all workers during the summer months.
