Saudi Arabia
The General Authority for Statistics released today the Statistical Bulletin on Health and Safety at Work for the year 2023 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The results of the bulletin revealed that 45.8% of workers in the Kingdom work more than 40 hours per week, while 39.6% work an average of 40 hours per week. The actual working hours per day for employees averaged 8 hours.
The bulletin clarified that 46.6% of workers have received training on health and safety procedures at work, and 48.7% of workers have access to a dedicated health and safety management provided by their employers.
According to the bulletin’s results, the most common risks faced by workers, in descending order, include standing for extended periods of at least four hours daily at 28.21%, prolonged sitting on an office chair for more than three continuous hours at 28.15%, and repetitive movement of the upper limbs for an extended period at 17.1%.
The results also indicated that 7.8% of workers deal directly or indirectly with chemicals, medical waste, radioactive materials, or toxic gases, and 6.3% face risks such as electrical hazards, machine-related risks, or drowning.
According to the bulletin, 89.7% of workers have health coverage for basic healthcare, and the most prevalent work-related health problem in the past 12 months was “work-related stress” at a rate of 3.2%, while 83.5% of workers reported having no work-related health issues.
