Working under direct sunlight or in open-air spaces is banned across the UAE between 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm, every day from June 15 to September 15, under the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s Occupational Heat Stress Prevention Policy, better known as the Midday Break. Employers who break the rule are fined AED 5,000 per worker, up to a maximum of AED 50,000 when several workers are involved.
The 2026 season is the rule’s 22nd consecutive year, and it is in force right now: the ban runs until September 15. This guide covers the exact hours and dates, which work is prohibited and which is exempt, what your employer must provide during the break, the fines, and how any member of the public can report a violation to MOHRE in minutes.
What the Midday Break Rule Is
The Midday Break is a federal ban on work performed under direct sunlight and in open areas during the hottest hours of the UAE summer. It applies from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm daily, from June 15 through September 15, and it binds every private-sector employer in every emirate.
MOHRE frames the rule as the core of its Occupational Heat Stress Prevention Policy, which exists to protect workers from injuries and illnesses caused by working in high temperatures. The ministry’s guidance page lists two instruments behind it: Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022 on occupational health and safety and labour accommodation, and Administrative Decision No. 19 of 2023 on the same subject.
The rule is one of the most consistently enforced in the UAE labour market. MOHRE reports a compliance rate above 99% for several years running, sustained by inspector field visits to work sites and labour accommodations throughout the summer.
Dates, Hours, and Who Is Covered
| Element | Rule |
|---|---|
| Season | June 15 to September 15, every year |
| Banned hours | 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm daily |
| Prohibited work | All types of work carried out under the sun and in open places |
| Fine | AED 5,000 per worker per breach, capped at AED 50,000 |
| Reporting channel | MOHRE call center 600590000, MOHRE app, or mohre.gov.ae |
The ban is defined by where the work happens, not by job title. A construction laborer, a landscaper, a delivery rider waiting at the curb, and a technician on an exposed rooftop are all inside it during the banned window. Work indoors, in shaded and ventilated spaces, or in air-conditioned environments can continue. The policy sits within the framework of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, which covers private-sector employment; if you are unsure how the wider law applies to you, start with our UAE Labour Law guide.
Which Work Is Exempt From the Ban
MOHRE exempts work that cannot be interrupted for technical reasons and work needed to prevent hazards or repair failures affecting the community. The published examples are laying asphalt and pouring concrete where postponing is unfeasible, fixing interruptions to water or electricity supply, addressing traffic disruptions, and work that a competent government authority has specifically permitted.
The exemptions are narrow in an important way: they attach to the task, not to the company. A contractor cannot treat its entire site as exempt because one concrete pour is underway. MOHRE’s announcements also make clear that exempted work does not suspend the employer’s welfare duties; workers performing permitted tasks during the window must still have shade, cooling, and water available at the site.
What actually happens during an inspection
MOHRE inspectors visit sites and labour accommodations unannounced through the season, and the ministry states it monitors compliance through its own tracking systems for the full three months. If workers are found working in the sun during the banned window without a qualifying exemption, the violation is recorded per worker, which is how a site with many affected workers reaches the AED 50,000 ceiling quickly.
What Employers Must Provide
During the Midday Break season, an employer must provide a shaded rest area, adequate cooling equipment such as fans, sufficient drinking water, approved hydration supplements such as electrolytes, and first-aid supplies at the work site.
MOHRE’s published list of employer obligations covers:
- Shaded areas where workers can rest during the ban, or shelter while performing exempted tasks.
- Cooling equipment, with fans named as the baseline example.
- Sufficient drinking water to prevent dehydration through the working day.
- Hydration supplements such as electrolytes, as approved for use by local authorities.
- First-aid supplies at the work site.
Heat-related illness that does occur at work falls under the occupational injury rules, which carry their own compensation schedule; see our guide to work injury compensation in the UAE for how treatment costs and disability compensation work.
Rest stations for delivery riders
Delivery riders are the most visible group working through the summer heat. MOHRE, delivery companies, and government partners operate a network of air-conditioned rest stations for delivery workers across the UAE during the Midday Break months; the ministry reported more than 10,000 rest stations in the 2025 season, with an interactive map so riders can find the nearest one.
Fines and Enforcement
A company that makes an employee work in the sun during the banned hours is fined AED 5,000 for every worker in violation, up to a maximum of AED 50,000 per incident involving multiple workers. The fine attaches to the employer, not the worker.
Two practical points follow from the per-worker structure. First, the penalty scales fast: ten workers on one exposed task is a AED 50,000 exposure. Second, because the fine targets the employer, a worker who reports a violation is not the one at legal risk. A worker pressured to keep working through the window can also raise the matter as a labour complaint; our guide to filing a MOHRE complaint explains that route step by step.
How to Report a Violation
Anyone, not just the affected worker, can report a Midday Break violation to MOHRE by calling 600590000, using the Add Complaint service in the MOHRE app, or through the complaint service on mohre.gov.ae.
MOHRE explicitly invites reports from members of the community, so a resident who sees a crew working in the sun at 1 pm in July can report it. Useful details to have ready are the location, the company name if visible on hoarding, vehicles, or uniforms, the time, and roughly how many workers were affected. Photos help inspectors act on the report, but be aware of the privacy rules around photographing identifiable people, which we cover in our guide to UAE social media laws and fines: report evidence to the authority rather than posting it online.
What the Rule Means for Working Hours
Outdoor work does not stop in summer; it moves. Sites typically split shifts around the banned window, with early morning and evening blocks replacing the continuous day. The normal working time rules of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 continue to apply through the season, including the daily-hours framework and the overtime thresholds, so hours worked beyond normal working time in a split-shift arrangement are still compensable; our overtime calculation guide covers the rates. Night work brings its own rest requirements under the same law.
One limitation worth stating honestly: MOHRE’s published guidance page and annual announcements set out the ban, the welfare duties, the exemptions, and the fine, but they do not publish a standalone rule on how the remaining daily hours must be scheduled around the window. Scheduling summaries you may see elsewhere, such as a fixed cap on total daily hours specific to the Midday Break, come from press reporting of ministerial statements rather than from the guidance texts, so confirm any specific scheduling rule with MOHRE before relying on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the UAE midday break timings in 2026?
Work under direct sunlight and in open-air spaces is banned from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm daily, from June 15 to September 15, 2026. The 2026 season is the 22nd consecutive year of the rule, which MOHRE now runs under the name Occupational Heat Stress Prevention Policy.
What is the fine for violating the midday break rule?
AED 5,000 per worker found working during the banned hours, rising to a maximum of AED 50,000 when the violation involves multiple workers. The fine is imposed on the employer, and MOHRE also escalates field inspections through the season.
Does the midday break apply to indoor workers?
No. The ban covers work carried out under the sun and in open places. Indoor work, and outdoor work in genuinely shaded environments, can continue, but the employer’s general duty to provide a safe working environment, cooling, and drinking water still applies.
Which jobs are exempt from the UAE midday break?
MOHRE exempts tasks that cannot be interrupted for technical reasons, with laying asphalt and pouring concrete as the published examples, plus work needed to prevent hazards or repair failures affecting essential services such as water or electricity, and activities that hold a permit from a competent government authority. Exempted workers must still get shade, water, and cooling.
Can my employer make me work outside at 1 pm in July?
Only if the task falls inside a published exemption, such as an uninterruptible concrete pour or emergency repair work. Otherwise the assignment itself is a violation that carries an AED 5,000 fine per worker for the employer, and you or anyone else can report it to MOHRE on 600590000.
How do I report a midday break violation?
Call the MOHRE call center on 600590000, or use the Add Complaint service in the MOHRE smart app or on mohre.gov.ae. Reports are open to any member of the community, not only the affected workers, and the location, company name, time, and number of workers involved are the useful details to provide.
Does the midday break apply to domestic workers and gardeners at private villas?
MOHRE’s published announcements address establishments and their workers, and domestic workers are covered by their own legal regime rather than the main labour law. The heat-protection logic is the same, but the ban’s fine structure is written for companies; households should still not direct outdoor work in the banned window.
Do delivery riders have to stop working during the midday break?
Riding in direct sun during the window falls within the policy’s scope, and MOHRE coordinates with delivery platforms each season. More than 10,000 air-conditioned rest stations were provided across the UAE during the 2025 season, with an interactive map for riders to locate them.
Is the midday break the same in every emirate?
Yes. It is a federal MOHRE policy applying across all seven emirates on the same dates and hours. Individual emirates and government authorities can add their own permit requirements for specific works, which is one of the published exemption routes.
What happens if a worker gets heat stroke on the job?
A heat-related illness caused by work is handled under the occupational injuries framework: the employer bears treatment costs, and the work injury compensation schedule applies to any resulting disability. Report the injury to the employer, and note that the employer has its own reporting obligations to the authorities.
Official Sources
- MOHRE — The Midday Break (Occupational Heat Stress Prevention Policy guidance)
- MOHRE — Midday Break implementation announcement (dates, fines, employer obligations)
- MOHRE — Rest stations for delivery workers during the Midday Break
- Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations
Information current as of August 2026. The Midday Break dates and hours are confirmed for the 2026 season (June 15 to September 15). MOHRE’s website is intermittently unavailable from some networks; the ministry pages cited here were verified through archived copies of the ministry’s own publications. Verify current-year details with MOHRE at 600590000 before relying on them.
