What does the midday work ban shift checker do?
Every Gulf country bans outdoor work in direct sun during the hottest hours of summer. The hours and dates differ by country, and they are announced each year. Crews that load and unload, field technicians, equipment operators, recovery and waste crews, and riders are the ones most affected.
This tool checks each crew's shift against the ban window of the country you pick. It shows which crews overlap the ban and by how many minutes, the worker-hours in the window per day and over the season, and two ways to re-plan each shift with the same paid hours. The report adds a one-page crew briefing.
Midday work ban hours by country
These are the rules the tool loads when you pick a country. We checked each one against the source on 21 October 2026. The admin of this page reviews them every April, before the new season.
| Country | Season | Ban hours | Fine reported | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 15 Jun – 15 Sep | 12:00–15:00 | Not stated in the source | MHRSD, reported by Ajel, 15 Jun 2026 |
| United Arab Emirates | 15 Jun – 15 Sep | 12:30–15:00 | AED 5,000 per worker, up to AED 50,000 | MoHRE, reported by Khaleej Times, 6 Jul 2026 |
| Qatar | 1 Jun – 15 Sep | 10:00–15:30; all work stops when WBGT is above 32.1 °C | Not stated in the source | Ministry of Labour, The Peninsula, 31 May 2026; ILO |
| Kuwait | 1 Jun – 31 Aug | 11:00–16:00 | KWD 100 per worker on a repeat violation (reported 2024) | PAM, Resolution 535/2015, Gulf News, 1 Jun 2025; Gulf News, 21 Jun 2024 |
| Oman | 1 Jun – 31 Aug | 12:30–15:30 | Not stated in the source | Ministry of Labour, People Matters, 8 May 2026 |
| Bahrain | 15 Jun – 31 Aug | 12:00–16:00 | Penalties under the Labour Law | 2026 ministerial decision, DLA Piper, 15 May 2026 |
The Clyde & Co comparison of 2026 gives the same hours and seasons for all six countries. In the UAE, work that cannot stop for technical or public-safety reasons is exempt, such as repairs to water, electricity and telecoms networks and keeping traffic moving. Exempt employers must still apply all health and safety rules.
What inputs do you need?
| Input | Where to find it | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Country, ban hours and season | Loaded from the table above | Change them when your ministry announces this year's dates. |
| Crew shifts and workers | Rosters, site plans, HR system | One row per crew with the same hours. |
| Outdoors % | Site supervisor | Count only time in direct sun. Work under a roof or in a cooled cab is not outdoors. |
| Exempt work | Your country's rule | Mark a crew exempt only when its work is on the exempt list. |
| Extra pay and fine | Payroll, the authority's notice | Both are optional. The fine is filled only where an official figure is published. |
How is it calculated?
Each crew
Two ways to re-plan
The season
In Qatar, the tool also warns when the WBGT reading you enter is above 32.1 °C, because all work must then stop whatever the time.
Worked example: five crews in Saudi Arabia
The default values are examples. Date 14 July 2027, Saudi rule 12:00–15:00 from 15 June to 15 September, 6 working days a week.
- Loading crew A: 8 workers, 07:00–16:00, all outdoors. 180 minutes in the window, so 8 × 3 = 24 worker-hours a day. Option (b): 07:00–12:00, then 15:00–19:00.
- Field technicians: 5 workers, 08:00–17:00, 60% outdoors: 5 × 0.6 × 3 = 9 worker-hours.
- Delivery riders: 6 riders, 13:00–21:00, 80% outdoors: 120 minutes, 9.6 worker-hours. Option (a) starts at 04:00 and option (b) ends at 23:00, so both break the example limits of 05:00 and 22:00.
- Night maintenance (20:00–05:00) is clear. Emergency line repairs are marked exempt.
- Total: 42.6 worker-hours a day in the window. The season has 93 days, or 80 working days, so 3,408 worker-hours over the season and 4,080 hours of work to move.
How do you re-plan shifts for the midday ban?
- Start earlier: option (a) suits crews that can start at dawn. Check transport and rest time between shifts.
- Pause for the ban: option (b) keeps the start and moves the rest to late afternoon. Plan shaded rest and meals for the break.
- Move indoor tasks into the window: when a crew is only partly outdoors, put workshop, paperwork and training in the ban hours.
- Brief the crews: the report includes a one-page briefing. For the wider summer plan, see the Summer Fleet Readiness Checklist and the Toolbox Talks Pack for Fleet Drivers.
Assumptions and limits
This is a planning tool, not legal advice. Ban hours, dates, exemptions and fines are set by each country's labor ministry and may change each year; check the current notice before you rely on the result. The fine figure is what the source reports and applies per inspection if a breach is found; the authority decides the actual penalty. The tool assumes one shift a day per crew and the same shifts across the season, and it counts working days in proportion to the working days per week. Outdoors % is your estimate. The tool does not measure temperature.