What is the main occupational safety and health law in the United Arab Emirates and who enforces it?

There is no stand-alone occupational safety and health (OSH) act. The main law is the federal labour law, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations (in force since 2 February 2022), with its Implementing Regulation (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022) and resolutions of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), which inspects and penalises.

Short answer

• Main law: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (مرسوم بقانون اتحادي رقم (33) لسنة 2021 بشأن تنظيم علاقات العمل), for all private-sector establishments; not for government employees, armed forces, police and security, or domestic workers.
• Detailed OSH duties: Article 22 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022 on OSH and labour accommodation, and MOHRE Administrative Decision No. 19 of 2023 (23 August 2023), which repealed Administrative Decision No. 28 of 2022.
• Injuries: Cabinet Resolution No. 33 of 2022 and Ministerial Resolution No. 657 of 2022.
• Enforcement: MOHRE inspectors; police for injury investigation; Civil Defence for fire safety; in Abu Dhabi also the OSHAD-SF framework, supervised by the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) and applied through sector regulatory authorities.

The federal chain of instruments

The Decree-Law states the principles. The employer must provide the means of prevention against occupational injuries and diseases, guidance, appropriate training and periodic evaluation of OSH compliance (Article 13(6)), and a safe and appropriate work environment (Article 13(13)). Workers must follow the establishment's OSH instructions (Article 16(6)). Article 36 links OSH to the federal public health law, and Articles 37 and 38 cover work-injury compensation.

Who enforces it

MOHRE (وزارة الموارد البشرية والتوطين) carries out labour inspection. Officials authorised by a resolution of the Minister of Justice in agreement with the Minister have law-enforcement officer capacity: they may enter establishments, detect violations and write reports (Decree-Law Article 57), and the employer must give them access and data (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 33). The Ministry also imposes administrative penalties (Article 34) and runs the electronic work-injury and labour-accommodation systems.

Other bodies act in their own fields:

• the police receive injury reports and investigate whether an injury is work-related;
• the Civil Defence authorities enforce fire prevention, detection and fighting requirements, and their compliance certificate is needed, for example, to register labour accommodation;
• the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) runs product conformity, including ECAS-Ex for equipment in explosive atmospheres;
• in Abu Dhabi, the Occupational Safety and Health System Framework (OSHAD-SF, version 3.1 of March 2017), set up under Executive Council decree No. 42 of 2009, is supervised and monitored by ADPHC and applied through sector regulatory authorities, for example the Department of Municipalities and Transport for building and construction;
• municipalities and free-zone authorities may add rules for the activities they license.

Common mistakes

• Searching for a "UAE OSH Act". The duties are in the labour law and its resolutions.
• Ignoring emirate frameworks. Abu Dhabi's OSHAD-SF adds approval and reporting duties.
• Expecting ILO OSH conventions to set the duties. The ILO lists nine conventions ratified by the UAE, six of them fundamental; employer duties come from the national labour law and its resolutions, so cite those in audits and contracts.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in United Arab Emirates: law, authorities and employer duties
• What are the penalties for breaking occupational safety rules in the UAE?
• How and within what time must a workplace accident be reported in the UAE?
• ILO OSH conventions: ratification and fundamental status

Standards and further reading

• Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations: uaelegislation.gov.ae
• Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Implementing Regulation: uaelegislation.gov.ae
• Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022 (Arabic): government.ae
• Administrative Decision No. 19 of 2023: government.ae
• Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, EHS and OSHAD-SF: dmt.gov.ae and OSHMS FAQs
• ILO, United Arab Emirates country page: ilo.org

This article is general occupational safety and health information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable legislation, standards, manufacturers' instructions or the assessment of a competent OSH professional or occupational physician.