Requiring employers to conduct a medical examination for workers and employees in the UAE

Abdallah Shahin 2 months ago

The UAE government has announced the obligation of employers to conduct a medical examination for all workers in all hazardous professions, and the following are the full details.

The system for monitoring work injuries and occupational diseases in the UAE

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation confirmed that private sector establishments that employ 50 workers or more are committed to preparing a special system for monitoring work injuries and occupational diseases, which includes a number of procedures and mechanisms, most notably:
Preparing a record of work injuries and occupational diseases.
Providing the necessary preventive tools and rehabilitation programs for workers engaged in hazardous activities in the facility.
Restricting all activities dangerous to workers' health and safety.
Limiting workers in hazardous activities.

Requiring the employer to conduct a medical examination for the workers

And the Ministry stressed, through its official pages on social media platforms, that the employer is obligated to assign one or more doctors to examine his workers who are at risk of contracting one of the occupational diseases specified by the Ministry, on a regular basis (at least once every six months), and to record the result of that examination in his records. And also in the workers’ files, pointing out the need for doctors to immediately inform the employer and the Ministry about cases of occupational diseases that appear among workers, and cases of death resulting from them, after confirming them by conducting the necessary medical and laboratory research, and the employer must inform the Ministry of that.

Occupational diseases and work injuries

And she said, “The doctor who conducts the periodic examination must request the re-examination of any worker who has been exposed to an occupational disease after a period less than the stipulated periodic period, if he finds that his condition requires that, while the employers must establish mechanisms related to the periodic health examination for workers in related activities.” The seriousness and speed of reporting within the facility about cases of work injuries and occupational diseases, as well as investigating work injuries and cases of occupational diseases, and taking all necessary measures to ensure that other workers are not exposed to such injuries or diseases, in addition to obtaining a report from the medical committees that shows the percentage of disability in the event of injury work or occupational disease.

She emphasized the importance of establishments keeping a record of the periodicity and dates of examining workers exposed to occupational hazards for a period of at least five years after the end of their service, with the obligation to hand over the worker after the end of his service a statement indicating his period of work in the establishment in this dangerous profession.