Following Abu Dhabi's efforts to protect outdoor workers from the summer heat, Saudi Arabia is planning to do the same – but the legal requirement will not come into effect until next year.

Employers will be obliged to give outdoor workers a break between noon and 3pm during July and August, when temperatures are at their highest.

Meanwhile, the government's Human Rights Commission is urging employers to implement the new rules immediately. The Supreme Judiciary Council has also joined in, with one of its senior scholars saying that forcing people to work in extreme conditions is not only a violation of human rights but is also forbidden in Islam, and if workers die as a result their families can claim blood money.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 27 July 2010