Article 191 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 191 من نظام العمل · الباب الثاني عشر: العمل في المناجم والمحاجر
Article 191 requires the employer or responsible manager in mines and quarries to draw up a written regulation containing the orders and instructions on general safety at the work site.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على صاحب العمل أو المدير المسؤول أن يضع لائحة بالأوامر والتعليمات الخاصة بالسلامة العامة.
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 191 explained in plain English
Article 191 is within Part Twelve of the Labor Law on work in mines and quarries, a high-risk work environment. This article imposes a clear and direct obligation: the employer or the responsible manager must draw up a regulation of the orders and instructions on general safety.
What does this mean in practice?
- Who is bound? The text addresses the obligation to the employer or the manager responsible for the site, meaning the existence of a responsible manager does not relieve the establishment of the obligation, but makes either of them required to carry it out.
- What is required? Preparing a regulation, that is, an organized document gathering the orders and instructions workers must follow to preserve general safety, not merely scattered verbal directions.
- What is the scope of the regulation? The text speaks of general safety without specifying the details of its content, so the assessment is left to the nature of the site and its hazards.
This article complements the neighboring articles in the same Part: Article 190 requires the employer to prepare a special register to record and account for workers before they enter the workplaces and when they leave them, and Article 192 requires it to set up a rescue point near the workplace equipped with the necessary rescue tools and first aid with a suitable means of communication and a trained technical worker to supervise rescue and first aid. The three articles thus form a graduated preventive system: accounting for workers, clear safety instructions, and rescue means ready when an emergency occurs.
For a worker in a mine or quarry, this article gives him a basis to demand that written, announced safety instructions exist, and to refer to them when in doubt about the correct procedure. The employer or responsible manager must prepare this regulation and make sure it actually exists on site. If a dispute arises about meeting this obligation, or a work injury results from its absence, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases.
Practical example
A company in the Eastern Province runs a quarry extracting building materials and appointed Khalid as the manager responsible for the site. Ahmed recently joined the work and noticed that directions are given only verbally and differ from one supervisor to another. Based on Article 191 of the Labor Law, the company or its responsible manager Khalid is required to draw up a written regulation of the orders and instructions on general safety at the quarry, alongside the workers' accounting register required by Article 190 and the rescue point imposed by Article 192. When Khalid prepared the regulation and announced it on site, Ahmed and his colleagues had a clear reference setting what they must do and what is forbidden to them while working.
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 191 of the Saudi Labor Law
Who is responsible for drawing up the safety instructions regulation under Article 191 of the Labor Law?
The text addresses the obligation to the employer or the responsible manager, so either of them is required to draw up a regulation of the orders and instructions on general safety.
Does Article 191 specify the content of the general safety regulation?
No. The text only requires the employer or the responsible manager to draw up a regulation of the orders and instructions on general safety, without detailing its content.
To which workplaces does Article 191 apply?
The article falls within Part Twelve of the Labor Law dedicated to work in mines and quarries, alongside Articles 190 and 192 on the workers' register and the rescue point.
How does Article 191 relate to Article 192 of the Labor Law?
Article 191 requires drawing up a regulation of general safety instructions, while Article 192 requires setting up a rescue point near the workplace equipped with rescue tools, first aid, a means of communication and a trained technical worker, so they are part of one preventive system.
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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.