The three-month ban on laborers working in high temperatures during the day has resulted in the highest number of violations ever with the construction sector being hardest hit owing to delays in the completion of infrastructural projects.

“We have registered 1,230 cases against errant employers who forced their workers to toil under the sun from noon to 3:00 p.m. in the period extending from June 15 to Sept. 15,” Abdullah Abutinin, head of Inspection teams in the Ministry of Labor announced.

He added that the Labor ministry inspection teams had detected a total of 3,594 workers, who were forced to work in the hot sun during the said period,” a statement issued on Thursday read.

The Labor Ministry has been implementing a mid-day work ban due to concerns for the workers’ health and safety and in the interest of the work itself which may be delayed because of climatic changes affecting the workers and exposing them to risks.

“The ministry is working hard to provide a secure work environment safe from occupational hazards, raise efficiency levels, prevent injuries and occupational diseases, protect workers from accidents and increase the level of production,” Abutinin said.

He asserted that those in violation of the ban will be penalized with a fine ranging between SR3,000 and SR10,000 for each violation or closing down the establishment for a period of 30 days or permanently. “It is possible that the offender will both be fined and his facility closed down,” Abutinin warned.

Meanwhile, all major infrastructural projects in Jeddah and other parts of the Kingdom have been hit hard by the ban, according to experts.

“The acute labor shortage, the irregular Ramadan working hours and the traffic ban in addition to a ban against working under the sun has caused considerable delays in the completion of works on the tunnels and flyover projects in Jeddah city,” opined Mohammed Minhaj, senior official of a leading consultant company executing Jeddah Municipality projects.

He welcomed the ban of the Labor Ministry which shows concern for the workers but he felt that more visas for workers in the construction sector should be issued to expedite the projects.

Some major civic infrastructural projects in Jeddah have almost come to a halt due to the ban including the major flyover and tunnel projects in King Fahad Street at the Bicycle roundabout (worth SR82.64 million); on Palestine Street from the Dallah Intersection to the Prince Miteb intersection (at a cost of SR180 million); in Prince Majed Street at Bani Malik (at a cost of SR92 million).

The multibillion riyal water supply and sewage project network in Jeddah has also been severely affected.

The Ministry of Labor registered 280 cases last year of mid-day work ban violations.