Saudi Arabia plays an active role in promoting the importance of occupational safety and health globally

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a pioneer in the field of occupational safety and health in the region, taking continuous steps towards enhancing the work environment and ensuring the safety and health of workers in all sectors of the labor market through its efforts to reduce work-related injuries, occupational diseases and fatalities, and these efforts are manifested in a series of continuous successes that contribute to strengthening its regional and international position in this field. 

The Kingdom's efforts in the field of occupational safety and health are based on an integrated strategy that includes updating laws and regulations, strengthening control and supervision of health and safety practices in various sectors, and developing training and qualification programs in the field of occupational safety and health to enable workers to take the necessary preventive measures and deal safely with work hazards.

Pivotal roles       

To achieve the ambitious aspirations of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, with the unlimited support of the wise leadership, and in line with the objectives of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's strategy and the labor market strategy, and in accordance with the requirements of the relevant International Labor Organization conventions that contribute to promoting the right of workers to work in a safe and healthy work environment, and to continue the Kingdom's achievements over the past years, the Ministry, represented by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, has launched a set of initiatives and projects to achieve sustainability in the implementation of occupational safety and health requirements and the requirements of the National Occupational Safety and Health Policy; among these projects is the ‘Occupational Safety and Health Cadres’ initiative that aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of human cadres in this field by providing two tracks: Practitioner and Professional, with the aim of enhancing the application of occupational safety and health practices in establishments.

In addition to the project ‘Establishing the Centre for Studies, Research and Innovation in Occupational Safety and Health’ as a specialized center for research, development and innovation in cooperation with Umm Al-Qura University, where the center works to enhance the level of technical research and its applications and provide innovative solutions in the field of occupational safety and health.

The ‘Occupational Health Services’ project aims to establish legislation for occupational health services to organize and develop occupational health services at the national level with the aim of protecting workers in establishments from occupational diseases.

The project “Regulation of Work In High-Risk Occupations” seeks and aims to develop a list of high-risk occupations in accordance with Article No. 131 bis of the Labor Law, which was newly added to the Labor Law in all fields in line with the most prominent international practices and in coordination with government agencies licensed for these professions. In addition, The project “Organizing and Recording Reports” aims to regulate the recording of reports and investigation procedures for work accidents and injuries through the design of mechanisms and programs for monitoring, investigation and analysis to prevent the causes of work accidents and occupational diseases, automating the operational model for reporting work accidents and occupational diseases, as well as developing national capacities and cadres in the field of investigating work accidents and occupational diseases. In order to achieve safe working environments and raise the level of occupational safety and health.

Global Reference

The Kingdom's role in this field is not limited to the local arena only, but seeks to exchange expertise and knowledge with other countries, and participate in joint international efforts to promote occupational safety and health at the global level, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to international social responsibility and its role as an active partner in building a safer and more advanced work environment, whether at the local, regional or global level.

The Kingdom also joins the countries of the world in celebrating the World Safety and Health Day, held on 28 April each year, with the aim of consolidating the concepts of occupational safety and health and enhancing the protection of workers in the workplace by developing national standards in this field, to achieve compatibility with international standards and enhance its leading position in the international arena.

“Scanning the Horizon” A milestone in Occupational Safety and Health

Since 2018, the Kingdom, represented by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, has been organizing an annual conference on occupational safety and health, and the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health continues achievements by launching the 6^th International Conference on Occupational Safety and Health in 2024, under the title ‘Scanning the Horizon”, to be held from 5 to 7 May 2024, in the presence of prominent local and international specialists, in addition to representatives of the most prominent international organizations in the field of occupational safety and health.

The importance of the conference is to provide an opportunity for participants to learn about the latest legislative and technical developments in the field of occupational safety and health, and gain the necessary knowledge to apply them in work environments. It is also an opportunity to build strategic partnerships and consolidate cooperation between the concerned authorities in the Kingdom and abroad, with the aim of enhancing efforts to develop the reality of occupational safety and health and build a safe and healthy work environment.

The Saudi International Conference on Occupational Safety and Health is a milestone in the Kingdom's journey towards achieving Vision 2030 and is an integral part of ongoing efforts to promote safety and health in the workplace and achieve sustainable development.

Tangible achievements and Indexes…

Over the past six years, the Kingdom has witnessed tangible achievements and indexes in the field of occupational safety and health, as the injury rate decreased from 416.1 to 287.8 per 100,000 workers, and the improvement was not limited to the injury rate, but also witnessed a decrease in the fatality rate from 3.828 to 1.12 per 100,000 workers. New jobs have been created in the field of occupational safety and health in the last three years, reflecting the tremendous growth in this sector and the increasing interest in it. To increase awareness and education in this aspect, 16 specialized awareness programs were launched in the field, and these programs succeeded in achieving an estimated awareness rate of 79% of workers on occupational safety and health.

These achievements reflect the Kingdom's commitment to promoting a safe and healthy work environment, providing job opportunities in the field of occupational safety and health, and improving the quality of life for workers in the Saudi labor market.