Global Compliance

UAE’s Oil & Gas Industrial Norms for Safety of Laborers

The UAE Government is committed to maintaining the safety and health of workers and improving the performance of workplaces to the best and highest levels in the oil and gas industries; to contribute to the prevention and reduction of accidents, injuries and occupational diseases. This is covered most notably by the legislation, Federal Law Number 8 of 1980 regulation concerning Labour relations (the Labour Law). On the health and safety of workers and the prevention of workplace incidents, the law regulates worker safety standards by imposing obligations on employers, such as the provision of medical care and protective means to protect workers from the risk of injuries during work and the duties of the workers to follow them. The Government of Abu Dhabi has established the Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Centre,by Abu Dhabi Executive Council Decision Number 12 of 2010 (ADGM Health and Safety Centre) which aims to improve performance in the management of occupational safety and health aspects. These practical note guide and assists the readers to know and understand the duties that the employer is committed to providing for the security and safety of workers in oil and gas fields as well as the responsibilities of the employees to take care with their work and minimize the chances of incidents arising.
TheFederal Labour Law

• The Labour Law establishes the foundations and standards for maintaining the health and safety of workers that the employer must observe in all fields, including oil and gas.

Duties of the employer include:  (mentioned in Articles 91-98 of the Labour Law)

• The employer shall provide appropriate protective measures to protect workers against occupational hazards and diseases.
• The employer shall provide personal protective equipment for workers in the oil and natural gas facilities such as respiratory protection, protective clothing, footwear, earplugs, gloves and head cover Protective glasses and eye, face and hand protection devices.
• The employer shall suspend in the workplace detailed instructions on the means of fire prevention and protection of workers from the risks they may be exposed to during the course of their work in the Arabic language and in any language that the workers understand.
• The employer shall provide first-aid boxes in a visible location and within reach of the workers.
• The employer should provide in the workplace: ventilation, lighting, drinking water, and toilets suitable for workers.
• The employer shall train workers on the methods and procedures to be followed for the use of chemicals in a safe manner and arrange for emergency situations.
• Conduct field surveys of the work sites to measure the petroleum vapors and take samples from Work sites such as vapors for analysis And waste disposal.
• The employer must provide workers with medical care and routinely detect pulmonary and respiratory functions at natural gas workplaces.

Beyond the employer’s duties to safeguard the employees, the workers have responsibilities themselves.
The worker duties include: (covered under Article 100 of the Labour Law)

• The worker shall use the protective equipment and clothing provided to him and implement all the instructions of the employer.
• The worker shall refrain from doing any act that would obstruct the implementation of such operations.

In the event of Occupational Injury: (according to Articles 142-144 of Labour Law)

• If an occupational accident or illness injure the worker, the employer or his representative must immediately notify the police and the Labour department. The notice shall include the name, age, occupation, address and nationality of the worker; a brief description of the accident and its circumstances and the measures taken to aid/cure him. Once the notification arrives, the police shall conduct the necessary investigation and obtain the testimonies of the witnesses, and the employer shall be recorded in the record.
• In the case of work injuries and occupational diseases, the employer shall pay the expenses of treating the worker in one of the governmental treatment centers until the worker is cured or his disability or ailment.

Financial compensation: (according to Articles 149-153 of Labour Law)

• If the injury of the work or occupational disease leads to the death of the worker, his family members shall be entitled to compensation equal to the wage of the basic worker for a period of 24 months, provided that the compensation shall not be less than eighteen thousand dirhams and not more than thirty-five thousand dirhams.
• The amount of compensation payable to the worker in the event of total permanent disability is the same as the receivable in case of death.
• The injured worker shall not be entitled to compensation for injury or disability that did not lead to death if it is proved by the competent authorities investigations that the worker deliberately injures himself with intent to commit suicide or to obtain compensation or sick leave or for any other reason.

Awareness:
The employer should raise awareness among workers through awareness lectures Distribution of publications, organization of workshops and even competitions and awards; to encourage workers to be fully committed to the standards of process safety.

Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Centre:
Job: Monitor the performance of occupational safety and health

• The Abu Dhabi Safety Center aims to monitor, measure and report performance in occupational safety and health by analyzing the main causes of accidents and determine the regulations that need to be corrected with the aim of improving performance and increasing the efficiency of workers by reducing accidents in the future.

Labour Department:

• The Labour Department also organized the workers' direct free line to submit workers complaints 24 hours a day.

Glossary

• Employer: Any natural or legal person employing one or more workers in return for any kind of wage.
• Worker: Any male or female working, for a wage of any kind, in the service or under the management or control of an employer, albeit out of his sight. 
• Employment Contract: Any agreement, for a definite or indefinite term, concluded between an employer and an employee, whereby the latter undertakes to work in the employer's service and under his management and control, in return for a certain wage that the employer undertakes to pay.
• Work: Any human effort- intellectual, technical or physical- exerted in return for a wage, irrespective of whether such work is permanent or temporary.
• Wage: Any consideration, in cash or in kind, given to a worker, in return for his service under an employment contract, whether on yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, piecemeal, output or commission basis. 
• Occupational Injury: Any of the work-related diseases listed in the schedule or any other injury sustained by a worker during and by reason of carrying out his duties. Any accident sustained by a worker on his way to or back from work shall be considered an occupational injury.
• Labour Department: The branches of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs that are in charge of Labour affairs in the emirates of the Federation.
• The UAE Federal Law (Number 8 of 1980): Which regulates Labour relations.
• Abu Dhabi Executive Council Decision (Number 12 of 2010): Regards established Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Centre.