«الموارد البشرية»: فحوصات طبية دورية للعاملين في المهن الخطرة

The Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, President of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, has approved the regulation of work in high-risk professions, as part of the development of the occupational safety and health system and the enhancement of prevention measures to protect workers in hazardous work environments.

The regulation aims to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for classifying and licensing high-risk professions, defining the requirements for practicing them, which contributes to reducing work injuries and occupational diseases, and improving the work environment across various sectors.

The regulation includes a clear definition of high-risk professions, which are those where the nature of the work involves serious or potential risks that may lead to severe injuries or occupational diseases, whether the risks are physical, chemical, biological, or mechanical, while specifying the responsibilities of employers, operating entities, and workers.

The regulation stipulates that entities and establishments are required to apply all regulatory conditions and requirements, including conducting periodic occupational medical examinations before hiring and during the course of work, and ensuring that the worker's health condition is suitable for the nature of the profession, according to an approved medical classification that determines the worker's eligibility or the need to impose restrictions or prevent them from continuing work if the professional fitness requirements are not met.

The regulation also specifies the mechanism for classifying high-risk professions according to precise criteria, including the nature of the work, the level of exposure to risks, statistics related to accidents, injuries, and occupational fatalities, in addition to the types of hazardous materials and factors used in the work environment.

The regulation includes a list of activities and fields classified as high-risk professions, including: working at heights and in confined spaces, lifting and manual handling operations, dealing with electrical and mechanical energy, the movement of vehicles and equipment at work sites, and working near high-pressure hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, among other activities that require special preventive conditions.

The regulation emphasizes the employer's responsibility to guide and monitor workers, provide necessary training and qualification, ensure the use of personal protective equipment, report accidents, work injuries, and occupational diseases through approved platforms, and cooperate with relevant authorities in investigations and corrective actions.

The regulation also organizes the procedures for appealing the results of occupational medical examinations, by presenting the case to a specialized medical committee, with the possibility of consulting specialists when needed, and making the final decision in a manner that ensures the safety of the worker and others without infringing on the rights of the contractual parties.

The regulation stresses that a worker is not allowed to practice the profession if the professional fitness requirements are not met, while obligating the employer to take necessary actions to change the profession or provide appropriate rehabilitation, and to periodically reassess the health condition to consider the possibility of returning to their original profession when health requirements are met.

The approval of this regulation is part of the efforts of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health to enhance a safe work environment, increase compliance, and achieve occupational safety targets in the Saudi labor market.