Section 1

Occupational Risk Prevention

Article 121:

The employer shall maintain the establishment in a healthy and clean condition, provide adequate lighting and potable water for drinking and washing, and adhere to other occupational safety and health rules, procedures, and standards in accordance with what the Minister specifies by a decision.

Article 122:

Every employer shall take the necessary precautions to protect workers from hazards and diseases arising from work and the machinery used, and to ensure occupational safety and health. The employer shall post, in a conspicuous place within the establishment, instructions concerning the safety of work and workers, in Arabic and in any other language understood by the workers when necessary. The employer may not charge workers or deduct any amount from their wages in return for providing this protection.

Article 123:

The employer shall inform the worker, before they commence work, of the hazards of their occupation and obligate them to use the prescribed protective equipment. The employer shall also provide appropriate personal protective equipment to the workers and train them on its use.

Article 124: 

The worker shall use the protective equipment designated for each operation, maintain it, and comply with the instructions issued for the preservation of their health and protection from injuries and diseases. The worker shall refrain from any act or omission that results in the non-implementation of instructions, or the misuse, damage, or disruption of the means provided for the protection of the workplace, the health, safety, and well-being of fellow workers. 

Article 125:

The employer shall take the necessary precautions to prevent fire, and provide the technical means for its control, including securing escape routes and ensuring their usability at all times. Detailed instructions on fire prevention methods shall be posted in a conspicuous place within the workplaces.

Article 126: 

The employer shall be responsible for emergencies and accidents that befall persons other than their workers who enter the workplaces by virtue of their position or with the consent of the employer or their agents, if such emergencies or accidents are due to negligence in taking the technical precautions required by the nature of their work. The employer shall compensate them for any disability or damage they incur in accordance with the general regulations.

Section 2

Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents

Article 127: 

The provisions of this Chapter shall apply to major hazard facilities.

Article 128:

  1. The term "Major Hazard Facility" means: An establishment that permanently or temporarily produces, processes, disposes of, handles, uses, or stores one or more hazardous substances or categories of these substances in quantities exceeding the permissible standards, the exceeding of which leads to the inclusion of the establishment in the category of major hazard facilities.

  2. The term "Hazardous Substance" means: Any substance or mixture of substances that poses a danger due to its chemical, physical, or toxic properties, either alone or in combination with other substances.

  3. The term "Major Accident" means: Any sudden event such as: a major emission, fire, or explosion in the course of an activity within a major hazard facility, involving one or more hazardous substances, and leading to a serious danger to workers, the public, or the environment, whether immediately or in the future.

Article 129: 

The Ministry shall establish regulations to define "Major Hazard Facilities" based on a list of hazardous substances, or categories of these substances, or both.

Article 130: 

Employers shall, in coordination with the Ministry, determine the status of their establishments based on the regulations referred to in Article 129 of this Law.

Article 131: 

The Minister shall issue regulations and decisions that include the necessary arrangements at the establishment level for the prevention of major accidents, the duties of employers in this regard, as well as the arrangements taken to protect the public and the environment outside the site of each major hazard facility, the rights and duties of workers, and other necessary measures to prevent major accidents, reduce the risks of their occurrence, and mitigate  their effects.

Article 131 (Bis): 

The Minister shall, by a resolution, specify the occupations and types of work that are considered hazardous or harmful or that may expose the worker to unusual hazards or damages, and the categories of workers whose employment in such occupations or work is prohibited, permanently or temporarily, or is subject to special conditions, including the extent of the need to specify working hours for any of those categories, in accordance with the Kingdom's relevant obligations stipulated in international agreements.


 

Section 3

Work-Related Injuries

Article 132: 

The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to establishments subject to the Occupational Hazards branch of the Social Insurance Law.

Article 133: 

If a worker sustains a work-related injury or contracts an occupational disease, the employer shall be obligated to provide treatment and bear all necessary expenses, directly or indirectly, including hospital accommodation, medical examinations and analyses, X-rays, prosthetic devices, and transportation costs to places of treatment.

Article 134:

An injury shall be considered a work-related injury as stipulated in the Social Insurance Law. Occupational diseases shall be considered equivalent to work-related injuries, and the date of the first medical observation of the disease shall be considered the date of the injury.

Article 135: 

A relapse or any complication arising from a work-related injury or occupational disease shall be considered equivalent to the original injury, and the provisions regarding aid and treatment applicable to the original injury shall apply to it.

Article 136: 

Occupational diseases shall be determined in accordance with the schedule of occupational diseases stipulated in the Social Insurance Law, and the degrees of permanent total or partial disability shall be determined in accordance with the disability assessment guide stipulated in the aforementioned Law.

Article 137: 

In the event of temporary disability for work resulting from a work-related injury, the injured worker shall be entitled to financial assistance equivalent to their full wage for a period of sixty days, after which they shall be entitled to a financial equivalent of (75%) of their wage for the entire duration of their treatment. If the treatment period reaches one year, or if it is medically determined that there is no possibility of recovery and the worker's health condition prevents them from working, the injury shall be considered a total disability, the contract shall be terminated, and the worker shall be compensated for the injury. The employer shall not have the right to recover any amounts paid to the injured employee during that year.

Article 138: 

If the injury results in permanent total disability or death, the injured worker or their beneficiaries shall be entitled to compensation equivalent to their earnings for a period of three years, with a minimum of fifty-four thousand Riyals.

However, if the injury results in permanent partial disability, the injured worker shall be entitled to compensation equivalent to the estimated percentage of that disability, according to the approved disability assessment guide, multiplied by the value of the compensation for permanent total disability.

Article 139:

The employer shall not be obligated by the provisions of Articles (133), (137), and (138) of this Law if any of the following is proven:

  1. The employee intentionally caused their own injury.
  2. The injury resulted from deliberate misconduct by the employee.

  3. The employee refused to consult a doctor or declined treatment from the doctor assigned by the employer without a valid reason.

Article 140:

The liability of previous employers for whom a worker suffering from an occupational disease has worked shall be determined in light of the treating physician's medical report. These employers shall be obligated to pay the compensation stipulated in Article One Hundred and Thirty-Eight of this Law, each in proportion to the period the injured worker spent in their service, provided that the industries or professions they practice are among those that give rise to the disease contracted by the worker. 

Article 141:

The procedures for reporting work-related injuries shall be determined by a decision of the Minister.

Section 4

Health and Social Services

Article 142: 

Every employer shall provide one or more first-aid kits, equipped with medicines and other necessities for initial medical assistance.

The regulations shall specify the contents and number of first-aid supplies required in these kits, the quantities of medicines, as well as the organization of their storage and the qualifications and level of those responsible for administering first aid.

Article 143: 

Every employer shall assign one or more physicians to conduct a comprehensive medical examination at least once every year for their workers who are exposed to the potential of contracting any of the occupational diseases specified in the schedules of occupational diseases stipulated in the Social Insurance Law. The results of these examinations shall be recorded in the employer's records and in the files of those workers.

Article 144: 

The employer shall provide their workers with preventive and curative healthcare in accordance with the standards determined by the Minister, taking into account the provisions of the Cooperative Health Insurance Law.

Article 145: 

With the Minister's approval, the employer may establish a savings and thrift fund, provided that the workers' contributions to it are voluntary. The regulations governing all aspects of the operation of this fund must be announced.

Article 146:

For those working in areas remote from populated areas, the employer shall be obligated, at their own expense, to provide all or some of the following, as determined by the Minister:

  1. Provision of canteens for the sale of food, clothing, and other essential needs at reasonable prices, in work areas where such canteens are not usually available.

  2. Provision of suitable recreational and educational facilities and sports grounds attached to the workplaces.

  3. Implementation of the necessary appropriate medical arrangements to maintain the health of the workers and provide comprehensive treatment for their families. (The term "family" means: The spouse, children, and parents residing with the worker.)

  4. Provision of schools for the education of the workers' children if sufficient schools are not available in the area.

  5. Establishment of mosques or prayer rooms in the workplaces.

  6. Preparation of literacy programs for workers.

The regulations shall define areas remote from populated areas.

Article 147: 

An employer who carries out work in areas remote from populated areas, and in mines, quarries, and oil exploration centers, shall be obligated to provide housing, camps, and meals for the workers.

The Minister shall, by a decision, specify the conditions and specifications of the housing and camps, the consideration for the use of the housing, as well as the number of meals, the quantities and types of food, the necessary conditions for them, the amount to be borne by the worker for each meal, and other requirements necessary for the preservation of the workers' health.

Article 148: 

Every employer shall provide their workers with transportation from their place of residence, or from a designated assembly point to the workplaces and back daily if these places are not served by regular means of transportation at times consistent with working hours.