Article 63 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 63 من نظام العمل · الباب الخامس: علاقات العمل
Article 63 requires the employer and anyone with authority over workers to prevent any substance forbidden by Sharia from entering the workplace, and penalizes anyone found with it or using it.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على صاحب العمل أو وكيله أو أي شخص له سلطة على العمال، منع دخول أي مادة محرمة شرعًا إلى أماكن العمل، ويطبق بحق من وجدت لديه أو من تعاطاها العقوبات المقررة في هذا النظام، مع عدم الإخلال بالعقوبات الشرعية.
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 63 explained in plain English
Article 63 of the Labor Law places an express duty on the employer, its agent, or any person with authority over workers (such as a manager or supervisor) to prevent any substance forbidden by Sharia from entering workplaces. The responsibility here does not fall on the owner of the establishment alone, but extends to everyone who has the power of direction and supervision over the workers within the establishment.
The article uses the general phrase "a substance forbidden by Sharia" without listing items, which is usually understood to mean intoxicants, narcotics and the like, and the reference for determining it remains the provisions of Sharia.
The article's provisions fall into two parts:
- A preventive duty: management must take what is necessary to prevent these substances from entering the workplace, as part of its responsibility for the safety and discipline of the work environment.
- Disciplinary liability: the penalties set in the Labor Law itself apply to a worker in whose possession the substance is found or who uses it, that is, the disciplinary sanctions the Law provides for in its other provisions.
The article provides that applying these sanctions is without prejudice to Sharia penalties; that is, a disciplinary sanction at work neither replaces nor prevents accountability before the competent bodies, as the two matters are independent.
This article comes within a group of obligations on the employer in Part Five: Article 62 requires it to pay the wage of a worker who attended ready for work and was prevented for a reason attributable to the employer, and Article 64 requires it, at the end of the contract, to give a service certificate and return the worker's documents. Article 63 focuses on the duty to protect the workplace from forbidden substances.
What this means in practice: the establishment must set controls for prevention and monitoring, and the worker should know that possessing or using these substances in the workplace exposes them to statutory sanctions alongside Sharia accountability. If a dispute arises over imposing a disciplinary sanction under this article, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases.
Practical example
A contracting company in Riyadh is working on a large project, and field supervisor Khalid has been assigned to supervise the workers on site. Khalid noticed that one worker was carrying a substance forbidden by Sharia in his locker, so under Article 63 he must intervene at once as a person with authority over workers, prevent such substances from entering the site and inform the company's management. The company applies to the worker the disciplinary sanctions set in the Labor Law, and this does not prevent referring him to the competent bodies to apply Sharia penalties. If Khalid had ignored the matter, he would have breached the duty of prevention that the article imposes on him.
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 63 of the Saudi Labor Law
On whom does the duty to prevent forbidden substances from entering the workplace fall?
On the employer, its agent, or any person with authority over workers, such as managers and supervisors; Article 63 does not limit the duty to the owner of the establishment alone.
What happens to a worker found with a substance forbidden by Sharia at work?
The penalties set in the Labor Law apply to them, whether the substance was found in their possession or their use of it is established, without prejudice to the Sharia penalties that the competent bodies may impose.
Does a disciplinary sanction at work replace the Sharia penalty?
No. Article 63 expressly provides that applying the Labor Law penalties is without prejudice to Sharia penalties, so they are two independent tracks, neither of which cancels the other.
Does Article 63 specify the types of forbidden substances?
No. The article uses the general phrase "any substance forbidden by Sharia" without listing items, and its determination is referred to the provisions of Sharia.
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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.