Employers must pay for work-related injuries

Employers are obliged to pay for the treatment of employees for injuries sustained at work in accordance with Article 33 of the national labor law, said Bandar Al-Amoudi, a prominent Saudi lawyer.
Payment will have to be made either directly or indirectly and includes hospital stay, medical tests and analysis, X-rays and compensatory equipment, in addition to transportation to the place of treatment.
“The labor law provision stipulates that injuries be classified within categories according to a social insurance system,” he said. “Vocational illnesses are classified within a work injury system and patient history will begin from the first medical citation of the illness.”
The law obliges employers to bear all expenses arising from work-related injuries, including compensatory damages.
“Employers will also be obliged to pay expenses for fatal cases resulting from work-related injuries, in addition to compensation,” he said.
Hospitals, however, will be obliged to pay compensatory damage if hospital negligence is proven in taking preventive measures against infection.
Such legal action may be followed by state or Health Ministry intervention.
Authorities can take dramatic legal action against hospital administrations and workers and the hospital might even be closed down temporarily pending investigation.
The hospital might face permanent closure if investigation reveals that it poses a danger to patients.