Policing such a policy creates its own set of problems for the society and costs for the economy  Complying with any regulation has a cost attached, and so does policing that regulation in order to make it effective. How would anyone know who was working where and for how long without either a very accepting populace or a very draconian state?  At best there will be ignored regulations - 14-16% of the economy is already avoiding legal responsibilities1 and with employers dissuaded from taking risks that are larger than they would otherwise be, a working week cap has the effect of making the "shadow" economy even more attractive to businesses.  1 Friedrich Schneider with DominikEnste, "The Growth of the Underground Economy" IMF Paper 2002