When must a UAE construction company appoint a health and safety officer?
When it employs 100 or more workers. Article 2 of Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022 requires every industrial establishment, and every construction establishment with at least 100 workers, to appoint a technically qualified occupational health and safety officer. Administrative Decision No. 19 of 2023 requires a licensed engineer or a graduate of an occupational health and safety institute.
On this page
What the officer does
Plans: hazard analysis, annual objectives, safety and emergency plans, medical examination schedules and training. Supervises: internal inspections, including of subcontractors' staff, and checks of equipment. Documents: reports accidents immediately to MOHRE and the authorities and keeps incident records. Improves: revises the plan after incidents and acts on workers' observations.
Subcontractors count
The decision makes the officer responsible for making sure members of contracted establishments follow the safety rules, so subcontractor crews on the main contractor's site fall within the officer's inspections.
Where SupaJack Construct fits
SupaJack Construct does not include a safety or incident module. Inspection records with dates and attached documents sit with each project, and HR records hold each worker's documents, which a safety officer can use alongside a dedicated safety system.
Related tools and guides
See the answers on what counts as grave danger, the midday break, work injury compensation, who pays for injury treatment, leaving company accommodation and written work rules, plus the UAE labour law guide for contractors and quality and handover in SupaJack Construct.
Worked example
A contractor grows from 80 to 130 workers after winning a hospital project. It must appoint a qualified safety officer, a licensed engineer or OSH graduate, who prepares the safety plan and reports any accident to MOHRE immediately.
Questions people ask
What is the threshold for construction?
100 or more workers.
What qualification is required?
A licensed engineer or a graduate of an OSH institute.
Must accidents be reported to MOHRE?
Yes, immediately.