Article 188 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 188 من نظام العمل · الباب الثاني عشر: العمل في المناجم والمحاجر
Article 188 sets actual working hours below ground at a maximum of 7 hours a day, and bars keeping a worker at the workplace more than 10 hours including the time of descent and ascent.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا تزيد ساعات العمل الفعلية التي يمضيها العامل تحت سطح الأرض على سبع ساعات في اليوم، ولا يجوز إبقاء العامل في مكان العمل سواء فوق سطح الأرض أو في باطنها مدة تزيد على عشر ساعات في اليوم، وإذا كان العمل في باطن الأرض فتشمل هذه المدة الوقت الذي يستغرقه العامل للوصول من سطح الأرض والوقت الذي يستغرقه للعودة من باطن الأرض إلى سطحها.
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 188 explained in plain English
Article 188 sets a special rule for working hours in mines and quarries, which protects the worker more strictly than the general rules given the danger of working underground and the physical and health strain it causes. The article contains two limits that the employer must observe together:
- The first limit: 7 hours of actual work below the surface. The time the worker spends performing his actual work underground may not exceed 7 hours in a single day.
- The second limit: 10 hours of presence at the workplace. The worker may not be kept at the workplace, whether above ground or below it, for more than 10 hours a day, whatever the reason for staying.
The most important thing the article adds is that the time of descending underground and the time of ascending from it are counted within the 10-hour period if the work is underground. The period does not start from the moment the worker reaches the digging site, but from his setting off from the surface, and does not end until he returns to the surface. The employer therefore cannot exploit the length of the descent or ascent distance to lengthen the working day.
This article is part of an integrated system in Part Twelve: Article 187 requires a full medical examination of the worker before he is allowed to work in these operations, repeated periodically without charging him any cost, and Article 189 prohibits entry to the workplaces and their annexes by anyone other than those working in them, inspectors, and holders of special permission. The common aim is to protect the worker's health and safety in a high-risk work environment.
In practice, a worker in a mine or quarry should keep track of his actual working hours and the length of his stay at the site. If he is regularly required to work or stay for periods beyond these limits, it is advisable for him to consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases to learn the appropriate steps for his case.
Practical example
Fahd works in a mine belonging to a company in the Eastern Province. He reaches the mine entrance at 6:00 a.m., and descending to the digging site takes him 45 minutes, and the same for ascending. Under Article 188, his actual work underground may not exceed 7 hours, and the length of his stay at the workplace is counted from 6:00 including the time of descent and ascent, so he may not remain beyond 4:00 p.m. at the latest. If the supervisor asks him to stay on site until 6:00 p.m., even above ground to follow up other work, that violates the maximum set in the article.
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 188 of the Saudi Labor Law
How many working hours are allowed below the surface in mines?
According to Article 188 of the Labor Law, the actual working hours a worker spends below the surface may not exceed 7 hours a day.
Is the time of descending into the mine and ascending from it counted in working hours?
Yes. If the work is underground, the maximum 10-hour stay at the workplace includes the time it takes the worker to get from the surface to below ground, and the time it takes to return to the surface.
Can a mine worker be kept above ground after finishing his hours underground?
Only within certain limits. The article bars keeping the worker at the workplace, whether above ground or below it, for more than 10 hours a day in total.
What other conditions must be met before work in mines and quarries?
Article 187 requires a full medical examination of the worker and proof of his medical fitness before he is allowed to work, with periodic re-examination without charging him any cost, and the Minister specifies by decision the arrangements, conditions and periods to be observed.
More articles on Working Hours and Overtime
- Article 6
Article 6 sets the provisions that apply to the casual, seasonal and temporary worker: duties, discipline, working hours, rest, overtime, official holidays, safety, work injuries and what the Minister decides.
تسري على العامل العرضي والموسمي والمؤقت الأحكام الخاصة بالواجبات وقواعد التأديب، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة الأسبوعية، والتشغيل ال
- Article 17
Article 17 requires the employer to keep at the workplace the records and files the Regulations specify, and to post a visible schedule of working hours, rest periods and shifts.
على صاحب العمل أن يحتفظ في مكان العمل بالسجلات والكشوف والملفات التي تحدد ماهيتها، والبيانات التي يجب أن تتضمنها اللائحة. وعليه أن يضع في مكان ظاهر بموقع العمل
- Article 49
Article 49 applies the Labor Law provisions on leave, holidays, working hours, rest periods, occupational safety and work injuries to the trainee and the person undergoing qualification.
تسري على عقد التأهيل والتدريب الأحكام الواردة في هذا النظام، الخاصة بالإجازات السنوية والعطلات الرسمية، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة
- Article 98
Article 98 sets the maximum actual working hours at 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, reduced for Muslims during Ramadan to 6 hours a day or 36 a week.
لا يجوز تشغيل العامل تشغيلًا فعليًّا أكثر من ثماني ساعات في اليوم الواحد، إذا اعتمد صاحب العمل المعيار اليومي، أو أكثر من ثمان وأربعين ساعة في الأسبوع، إذا اعتم
- Article 99
Article 99 allows the Minister to raise daily working hours to 9 for certain categories or non-continuous work, or lower them to 7 in dangerous or harmful work.
يجوز زيادة ساعات العمل المنصوص عليها في المادة الثامنة والتسعين من هذا النظام إلى تسع ساعات في اليوم الواحد لبعض فئات العمال، أو في بعض الصناعات والأعمال التي ل
- Article 100
Article 100 allows an employer, with the Ministry's approval, to exceed 8 hours a day or 48 a week in establishments that work in rotation, provided the average over 3 weeks or less stays within these limits.
يجوز لصاحب العمل- بموافقة الوزارة- في المنشآت التي تقتضي طبيعة العمل فيها أداء العمل بالتناوب زيادة ساعات العمل على ثماني ساعات عمل في اليوم أو ثمان وأربعين ساع
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.