Article 194 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 194 من نظام العمل · الباب الثالث عشر: تفتيش العمل
Article 194 assigns labor inspection to inspectors from the Ministry's employees or other Saudis specified by the Minister or his delegate, who hold the powers provided in the Law.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
يتولى تفتيش العمل مفتشون من موظفي الوزارة، أو من غيرهم من السعوديين، يحددهم الوزير أو من يفوضه، وتكون لهم الصلاحيات والاختصاصات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام.
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 194 explained in plain English
Article 194 opens Part Thirteen of the Labor Law on labor inspection, and answers a basic question: who is the person legally authorized to enter establishments and verify employers' compliance with the provisions of the Law?
The article sets 3 main elements:
- Who carries out inspection: inspectors from among the employees of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, or other Saudis, meaning the Law allows the inspector to be from outside the Ministry's staff provided he is of Saudi nationality.
- Who specifies them: the Minister, or whomever the Minister delegates for this. A person does not acquire the capacity of labor inspector merely by his job; a designation issued by the Minister or his delegate is required.
- What their powers are: the powers and competences provided in the Labor Law itself, which the following articles of this Part detail, and the inspector may not exceed them.
Practical effect for the employer: it has the right to make sure that the person visiting its establishment as an inspector is a person designated by decision of the Minister or his delegate, and that what he requests falls within the competences the Law sets. In return, an inspection carried out by an inspector designated under this article is a legal procedure that must be cooperated with.
Practical effect for the worker: the article reassures him that there is an official oversight body following the application of the Law's provisions at his workplace, including, for example, the employer's safety obligations in Article 193 and others.
This article was amended by Royal Decree No. M/46 dated 5/6/1436 AH, and the text above is the text currently in force.
Practical example
A person visited a factory in Dammam, introduced himself as a labor inspector and asked to see the workers' records. The factory manager asked about his capacity, and he produced proof that he is one of the Ministry's employees and designated to carry out inspection. Under Article 194, this inspector is legally authorized and may exercise the powers the Labor Law provides, and the factory management must cooperate with him within the limits of those powers.
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 194 of the Saudi Labor Law
Must a labor inspector be an employee of the Ministry?
Not necessarily. Article 194 allows the inspector to be from the Ministry's employees or from other Saudis, provided the Minister or his delegate specifies him.
Can a labor inspector be a non-Saudi?
No. The text provides that inspectors are from the Ministry's employees or other Saudis, so Saudi nationality is a condition for one specified from outside the Ministry's employees.
Who has the power to appoint labor inspectors?
The Minister or his delegate specifies the inspectors under Article 194 of the Labor Law.
What are the limits of a labor inspector's powers?
Inspectors hold the powers and competences provided in the Labor Law, which the later articles of Part Thirteen on labor inspection detail.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/46 — 5/6/1436 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
تم تعديل هذه المادة بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم ( م/ 46) وتاريخ 5 / 6 / 1436 هـ ؛ لتكون بالنص الآتي:
"يتولى تفتيش العمل مفتشون من موظفي الوزارة، أو من غيرهم من السعوديين، يحددهم الوزير أو من يفوضه، وتكون لهم الصلاحيات والاختصاصات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
يتولى تفتيش العمل مفتشون مختصون يصدر الوزير قرارًا بتسميتهم، وتكون لهم الصلاحيات والاختصاصات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام.
More articles on Labor Inspection
- Article 39Amended by M/44
Article 39 prevents a worker from working for anyone other than their employer or on their own account, and prevents an employer from employing another's worker, except by following the statutory rules and procedures, and regulates inspection and referral between the two ministries.
لايجوز -بغير اتباع القواعد والإجراءات النظامية المقررة- أن يترك صاحب العمل عامله يعمل لدى الغير أو يعمل لحسابه الخاص، ولايجوز للعامل أن يعمل لدى صاحب عمل آخر أو
- Article 190
The article requires the employer in mines and quarries to prepare a special register to record and account for workers before they enter the workplaces and when they leave them.
على صاحب العمل أن يعد سجلًّا خاصًّا لقيد العمال وحصرهم قبل دخولهم إلى أماكن العمل وعند خروجهم منها.
- Article 196Amended by M/44
Article 196 sets the six competences of labor inspectors: monitoring implementation of the Law, guiding employers and workers, reporting deficiencies, recording violations, verifying referred violations, and proposing fines.
يختص مفتشو العمل بما يأتي: 1- مراقبة تنفيذ أحكام هذا النظام واللائحة والقرارات الصادرة تنفيذاً له. 2- تزويد أصحاب العمل والعمال بالمعلومات والإرشادات الفنية الت
- Article 198Amended by M/44
Article 198 gives labor inspectors the right to enter any establishment covered by the Law during its working hours without notice, carry out examinations and investigations, question the employer and workers, inspect records, and take samples of harmful materials.
يحق لمفتشي العمل : 1- دخول أي منشأة خاضعة لأحكام نظام العمل في أي وقت من أوقات عمل المنشأة دون إشعار سابق. 2 - القيام بأي فحص أو تحقيق لازم للتحقق من سلامة تنفي
- Article 199Amended by M/44
Article 199 requires employers and their agents and officials to facilitate labor inspectors' work, provide the data requested, appear before them, and send a representative on request.
على أصحاب العمل ووكلائهم ومسؤوليهم في مكان العمل أن يقدموا للمفتشين والموظفين المكلفين بتفتيش العمل، التسهيلات اللازمة للقيام بأداء واجبهم، وأن يقدموا لهم ما يط
- Article 200
Article 200 requires the labor inspector to notify the employer or his representative of his presence during inspection, unless he considers that the nature of the task requires not notifying.
على من يقوم بالتفتيش أن يبلغ بحضوره صاحب العمل أو ممثله، وذلك ما لم ير أن المهمة التي يقوم من أجلها بالتفتيش تقتضي غير ذلك.
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.