RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s push to improve occupational safety and health standards through various initiatives has transformed the Kingdom into a comfort zone for local and global talents.
Among the Kingdom’s major initiatives is the signing of the International Labour Organization Convention No. 120 to regulate health rules in commerce and offices and the launch of the National Policy for Occupational Safety and Health.
The Kingdom has also taken several ministerial decisions, including localizing the occupational safety and health profession.
It developed training programs for over 18,000 people to cater to the needs of the labor market, besides creating over 7,000 jobs and publishing 43 technical guides for enabling citizens to enter the labor market.
The capabilities provided by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health include “working with specialists to develop and approve manuals and procedures in relation to occupational safety and health in line with international requirements and agreements,” said Majid Al Fawyez, the secretary general of the national council for occupational safety and health.
He added: “The national council also provided training courses and workshops for workers to enable and motivate workers and employers to apply practices that contribute to raising the level of compliance occupational health and safety requirements.”
In enhancing occupational health and safety in the Kingdom, the national council launched “intensive vocational training programs to enable human cadres to specialize in the field, and occupational safety and health awards that contribute to the competition of employers,” said Al Fawyez
He added: “The council is also providing electronic platforms that contribute to assessing the level of compliance of establishments electronically and directing auditors to enhance the reality of occupational safety and health.”
According to a recent report published by the General Organization for Social Insurance on Work-related Injuries, government initiatives led to a 74 percent decline in the death rate in 2022 compared to 2021.
In addition, the rate of injuries ending in occupation disability fell by 91 percent during the same period.
The report further revealed that the strategic index of work injuries per 100,000 people also fell by 8 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.
To improve the governance of occupational health and safety in the Kingdom, the Council of Ministers also approved the establishment of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health to follow up and implement the Kingdom’s policy for occupational safety and health.
Saudi Arabia also launched an initiative to develop a comprehensive national system for reporting and investigating work-related accidents, injuries and occupational diseases.
It was done to ensure the continuity of the culture of preventive measures at work. This initiative aims to identify the causes of all types of work-related accidents to eliminate them and prevent their recurrence.
Rubra Jaradat, the regional director for the Arab States at the ILO, acknowledged the Kingdom’s achievements in promoting the improvement and development of occupational safety and health and the reduction of work accidents and injuries at the national level.
