Article 186 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 186 من نظام العمل · الباب الثاني عشر: العمل في المناجم والمحاجر
Article 186 prohibits employing anyone who has not completed eighteen years of age in a mine or quarry, with no exception or condition.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
لا يجوز تشغيل أي شخص في المنجم أو المحجر لم يتم الثامنة عشرة من العمر.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 186 explained in plain English
Article 186 of the Labor Law sets a firm rule: no person may be employed in a mine or quarry before completing 18 years of age. The text in its current form, after amendment by Royal Decree No. M/5 dated 7/1/1442 AH, sets no exception to this prohibition.
Whom does the text address?
- The prohibition is directed at the employer, who is barred from employing, and responsibility rests on it to make sure everyone working for it in the mine or quarry has completed 18 years.
- The protection is established for everyone below this age, whether Saudi or non-Saudi, and whether the work is permanent or temporary.
What is the scope of the prohibition?
- It covers everything Article 185 counts as work in mines and quarries: prospecting for, exploring for, extracting or processing mineral materials, extracting mineral deposits from the surface of the earth or beneath it and concentrating them, and the attached construction, installations and equipment work inside the licensed area.
- What counts is completing the age, so someone who is 17 years and 11 months is still covered by the prohibition until he completes a full 18 years.
- The prohibition is not lifted by the person's own consent or his guardian's approval, because the text does not tie it to any condition of that kind.
Relationship to Article 187: reaching 18 years is only the first condition; even someone who has reached this age may not be allowed to work in these operations except after a full medical examination proving his medical fitness, and this examination is repeated periodically at the employer's expense, under the arrangements and periods the Minister specifies by decision.
If a person under 18 is actually working in a mine or quarry, this is a violation of the Law, and the worker or his family can go to the authority competent for labor or consult a labor lawyer to learn the appropriate steps.
Practical example
A young man aged 17 years and six months applied to work as a technician's assistant at a quarry belonging to a company in the Medina region, and his father gave written consent to this. Under Article 186, the company may not employ him at the quarry, even with his father's consent, because he has not yet completed 18 years. When he completes this age the company may consider hiring him, but only after the full medical examination that Article 187 requires, at its expense, and after his medical fitness for the work required is proven.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 186 of the Saudi Labor Law
Can a 17-year-old be employed in a mine or quarry with his guardian's consent?
No. Article 186 prohibits employing anyone who has not completed 18 years in a mine or quarry, and does not tie the prohibition to any exception or consent, so the guardian's consent does not change the rule.
What work does the prohibition in Article 186 cover?
It covers everything Article 185 defines as work in mines and quarries: prospecting for, extracting or processing mineral materials, extracting and concentrating mineral deposits, and attached construction and installations work inside the licensed area.
Is completing 18 years enough to work in a mine?
Completing 18 years is only the first condition. Article 187 also requires a full medical examination before work and proof of medical fitness, with the examination repeated periodically without charging the worker any cost.
Who is responsible for complying with Article 186?
The text bars the employer from employing, so it is responsible for not putting anyone under 18 to work in the mine or quarry.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/5 — 7/1/1442 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
- عُدلت هذه المادة وذلك بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم (م / 5) وتاريخ 7 / 1 / 1442هـ، لتكون بالنص الآتي: "لا يجوز تشغيل أي شخص في المنجم أو المحجر لم يتم الثامنة عشرة من العمر".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
لا يجوز تشغيل أي شخص في المنجم أو المحجر لم يتم الثامنة عشرة من العمر، ولا يجوز تشغيل المرأة أيًّا كان سنها في أي منجم أو محجر.
More articles on Employment of Juveniles
- Article 131 bisAmended (1442 AH)
Article 131 bis authorizes the Minister to specify by decision the dangerous or harmful occupations and work, and the categories barred from them or employed only on special conditions, consistent with international conventions.
يحدد الوزير – بقرار منه – المهن والأعمال التي تعد خطرة أو ضارة أو من شأنها أن تعرض العامل لأخطار أو أضرار غير عادية، والفئات التي يحظر -–دائماً أو مؤقتاً _ تشغي
- Article 161
Article 161 prohibits employing juveniles in hazardous work, harmful industries and any occupation that may threaten their health, safety or morals, with the Minister specifying such work by decision.
لا يجوز تشغيل الأحداث في الأعمال الخطرة أو الصناعات الضارة، أو في المهن والأعمال التي يحتمل أن تعرض صحتهم أو سلامتهم أو أخلاقهم للخطر، بسبب طبيعتها أو الظروف ال
- Article 162
Article 162 prohibits employing anyone under 15 or letting them enter workplaces, while allowing the Minister to permit light work for those aged 13 to 15 under set conditions.
1- لا يجوز تشغيل أي شخص لم يتم الخامسة عشرة من عمره ولا يسمح له بدخول أماكن العمل، وللوزير أن يرفع هذه السن في بعض الصناعات أو المناطق أو بالنسبة لبعض فئات الأح
- Article 163
Article 163 prohibits employing juveniles during a night period of at least 12 consecutive hours, except in cases the Minister specifies by decision.
يحظر تشغيل الأحداث أثناء فترة من الليل لا تقل عن اثنتي عشرة ساعة متتالية إلا في الحالات التي يحددها الوزير بقرار منه.
- Article 164
Article 164 sets juveniles' working hours at six a day and four in Ramadan, regulates their rest breaks, and prohibits employing them on leave days and for overtime.
لا يجوز تشغيل الأحداث تشغيلًا فعليًّا أكثر من ست ساعات في اليوم الواحد لسائر شهور السنة، عدا شهر رمضان، فيجب ألا تزيد ساعات العمل الفعلية فيه على أربع ساعات. وت
- Article 165
Before employing any juvenile, the employer must obtain proof of his identity or birth, a certified medical fitness certificate and his guardian's consent, and keep them in his file.
على صاحب العمل قبل تشغيل الحدث أن يستوفي منه المستندات الآتية: 1 - بطاقة الهوية الوطنية أو شهادة رسمية بميلاده. 2 - شهادة باللياقة الصحية للعمل المطلوب صادرة من
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.