المملكة: Municipalities: Limiting the laundry profession to Saudis and requiring them to pass a security survey – urgent
The Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Majid Al-Hogail, issued a ministerial decision approving the new regulation for the requirements for mortuaries to be implemented immediately upon its publication. The decision granted the currently existing laundries a corrective period extending to 360 days to modify their conditions and equipment in accordance with the updated engineering and health standards. This regulatory step came based on directives to transfer supervision of the activity of preparing the dead, which includes washing, shrouding and transportation, to the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. The Ministry aims through this legislative measure to control the construction and operation of laundromat buildings in accordance with the requirements of the Saudi building code and unify their procedures. The regulations set strict conditions for those working in the profession of washing the dead, restricting work in this specialty to Saudi citizens who are not less than 25 years old. The regulations required that washers obtain a work permit after passing a training course and a personal interview at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, in addition to passing a security survey. At the spatial level, the requirements imposed a precise architectural division separating the entire men’s and women’s processing departments within The building. It obligated developers to allocate specific spaces of not less than 20 square meters for washing rooms, and to provide a refrigerated room for storing funerals with an area of not less than 30 square metres. The technical regulations stressed the necessity of allocating an independent room equipped with a high-powered suction fan to deal with decomposing corpses and burn deaths. The legislation allowed For laundromats, they should prepare separate halls for the rest of those accompanying the deceased’s family, and provide them with consolation services in an appropriate environment. The Ministry has strictly prohibited the operation of any laundromat or the practice of activity before obtaining a municipal license, prohibiting the use of laundromat buildings to store materials unrelated to the activity. The regulations also stressed the prohibition of using laundromat facilities for housing, excluding only the facility’s guard. The regulations stipulate obtaining the approval of the General Directorate of Civil Defense before issuing licenses to ensure the availability of safety and fire prevention requirements. The Ministry stated that operating laundries affiliated with charitable organizations requires obtaining in advance the approval of the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development. The Ministry confirmed that violators of these requirements will be subject to the application of the Municipal Penalties Regulations after the expiry of the period specified for correction. It pointed out that The right of establishment owners to appeal decisions before the complaint review committees in the relevant secretariats and municipalities.
Adopted New requirements for regulating the in The mortuary sector in Saudi Arabia Control the construction and operation of laundromat buildings
Allocate specific spaces
Ensuring the availability of safety requirements
Operating Laundries
