Saudi Arabia’s National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has launched a nation-wide drive aimed at monitoring the implementation of the official midday work ban.
Under the Ministry of Labour’sregulations, firms are banned from having workers perform outdoor jobs from 12 noon until 3:00pm to safeguard the well-being of workers in general and construction workers in particular during the summer season.
The NSHR has said it will closely monitor construction sites for violations by contracting firm. The Kingdom introduced the ban on July 1, joining other GCC countries including Qatar, the UAE and Oman.
Human rights groups criticized the government last year over violations of the midday work ban by local contractors, to which the Ministry of Labour responded by promising to boost its inspections of work sites across the country.