Article 196 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 196 من نظام العمل · الباب الثالث عشر: تفتيش العمل
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.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
يختص مفتشو العمل بما يأتي:
1- مراقبة تنفيذ أحكام هذا النظام واللائحة والقرارات الصادرة تنفيذاً له.
2- تزويد أصحاب العمل والعمال بالمعلومات والإرشادات الفنية التي تمكنهم من اتباع أحسن الوسائل لتنفيذ أحكام هذا النظام.
3- إبلاغ المختصين بالوزارة بأوجه النقص التي تقصرالأحكام القائمة عن معالجتها، واقتراح ما يلزم لذلك.
4- ضبط مخالفات أحكام هذا النظام واللائحة والقرارات الصادرة تنفيذاً له.
5- التحقق من المخالفات التي ترصدها جهات حكومية مختصة أخرى وتحال إلى الوزارة.
6- اقتراح الغرامة المناسبة وفقاً لجدول المخالفات والعقوبات.
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 196 explained in plain English
This article is within Part Thirteen of the Labor Law on labor inspection, and it explains what a labor inspector may do when visiting any establishment. The inspector is not merely an employee who spots errors; his tasks combine oversight, guidance and proposals.
The article limits labor inspectors' competences to 6 tasks:
- Monitoring implementation: making sure the establishment applies the provisions of the Labor Law, its Implementing Regulations and the decisions issued to implement it.
- Technical guidance: providing employers and workers with information and guidance that helps them follow the best means of applying the Law, meaning the worker and the employer may benefit from the inspector as a source of direction and not only as a body of punishment.
- Reporting deficiencies: if the inspector notices that existing provisions do not address a particular situation, he must notify the Ministry's competent officials and propose what is needed.
- Recording violations: documenting any violation of the provisions of the Law, the Regulations or the implementing decisions.
- Verifying referred violations: when another competent government body detects a violation and refers it to the Ministry, the inspector verifies it.
- Proposing the fine: the inspector proposes the appropriate fine according to the table of violations and penalties, so his role here is to propose according to the approved table, not to set an amount on his own.
In practice this means the inspector works within a defined framework: he may not impose obligations not found in the Law, its Regulations and its decisions, and the fine he proposes must be based on the table of violations and penalties. On the other hand, an employer or a worker may ask the inspector for guidance on the correct way to apply a particular provision.
This article was amended by Royal Decree No. M/46 dated 5/6/1436 AH, then by Royal Decree No. M/44 dated 8/2/1446 AH, in effect from 20/8/1446 AH, and the text shown above is the text in force after these amendments. If there is a dispute about the validity of a violation report or the proposed fine, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases.
Practical example
A labor inspector visited a factory in Dammam and noticed that the working hours board was not posted in a visible place. He first guided the establishment's manager on the correct way to apply the provision under item 2 of Article 196, then drew up a violation report under item 4, and proposed the corresponding fine as specified in the table of violations and penalties under item 6, without setting an amount of his own discretion. During the same visit the inspector verified a report that another government body had referred to the Ministry about the establishment, applying item 5.
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 196 of the Saudi Labor Law
Does a labor inspector impose the fine himself?
The text of Article 196 makes the inspector's role to propose the appropriate fine according to the table of violations and penalties; the inspector proposes the fine and does not set it on his own discretion outside the table.
Can an employer or worker ask a labor inspector for guidance?
Yes. Item 2 of Article 196 makes providing employers and workers with information and technical guidance for applying the Law one of the inspector's core competences.
What does a labor inspector monitor when visiting an establishment?
He monitors the implementation of the provisions of the Labor Law, its Regulations and the decisions issued to implement it, and records violations of them, and also verifies violations detected by other government bodies and referred to the Ministry.
Has Article 196 of the Labor Law been amended?
Yes. It was amended by Royal Decree No. M/46 dated 5/6/1436 AH and then by Royal Decree No. M/44 dated 8/2/1446 AH, in effect from 20/8/1446 AH, and the text shown is the text in force.
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:
"يختص مفتشو العمل بما يأتي :
1 - مراقبة تنفيذ أحكام هذا النظام واللائحة والقرارات الصادرة تنفيذاً له.
2 - تزويد أصحاب العمل والعمال بالمعلومات والإرشادات الفنية التي تمكنهم من اتباع أحسن الوسائل لتنفيذ أحكام هذا النظام.
3 - إبلاغ الجهات المختصة بأوجه النقص التي تقصر الأحكام القائمة من معالجتها، واقتراح ما يلزم لذلك.
4 - ضبط مخالفات أحكام هذا النظام واللائحة والقرارات الصادرة تنفيذاً له.
5 - التحقق من المخالفات التي تضبطها جهات حكومية مختصة أخرى وتحال إلى الوزارة.
6 - اقتراح الغرامة المناسبة وفقاً لجدول المخالفات والعقوبات".
Royal Decree No. M/44 — 8/2/1446 AH
In effect from 20/8/1446 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
- صدر المرسوم الملكي رقم (م/44) وتاريخ 1446/2/8هـ، وذلك بالموافقة على تعديلات بعض مواد نظام العمل (ويعمل بها من تاريخ 1446/8/20هـ)
وعدلت هذه المادة لتكون بالنص الآتي: "يختص مفتشو العمل بما يأتي:
1- مراقبة تنفيذ أحكام هذا النظام واللائحة والقرارات الصادرة تنفيذاً له.
2- تزويد أصحاب العمل والعمال بالمعلومات والإرشادات الفنية التي تمكنهم من اتباع أحسن الوسائل لتنفيذ أحكام هذا النظام.
3- إبلاغ المختصين بالوزارة بأوجه النقص التي تقصرالأحكام القائمة عن معالجتها، واقتراح ما يلزم لذلك.
4- ضبط مخالفات أحكام هذا النظام واللائحة والقرارات الصادرة تنفيذاً له.
5- التحقق من المخالفات التي ترصدها جهات حكومية مختصة أخرى وتحال إلى الوزارة.
6- اقتراح الغرامة المناسبة وفقاً لجدول المخالفات والعقوبات".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
يختص مفتشو العمل بما يأتي:
1- مراقبة تنفيذ أحكام نظام العمل واللوائح والقرارات المنفذة له على وجه سليم.
2 - تزويد أصحاب الأعمال والعمال بالمعلومات والإرشادات الفنية التي تمكنهم من اتباع أحسن الوسائل لتنفيذ أحكام النظام.
3 - إبلاغ الجهات المختصة بأوجه النقص التي تقصر الأحكام القائمة عن معالجتها واقتراح ما يلزم لذلك.
4 - ضبط مخالفات أحكام نظام العمل والقرارات الصادرة تطبيقًا له.
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 194Amended (1436 AH)
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.
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.
- 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.