Is a safety committee or a worker safety representative required in the United Arab Emirates?

No federal text reviewed for this article requires a formal safety committee or an elected worker safety representative in the UAE private sector. Employers must, however, give workers channels to raise OSH comments and suggestions, encourage their participation in OSH decisions, and keep minutes of OSH meetings in the OSH register.

Short answer

• Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, its Implementing Regulation (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022) and Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022 contain no committee threshold and no elected safety representative.
• MOHRE Administrative Decision No. 19 of 2023 requires, as elements of the OSH management system, channels for workers' comments and suggestions and encouragement of worker participation in OSH decisions; the OSH register includes meeting minutes.
• Workers must report risks and suggest control measures; the OSH officer must act on worker suggestions.
• Emirate frameworks (such as Abu Dhabi's OSHAD-SF), free-zone rules and client contracts may require committees; check them for the site.
• Compare: Türkiye requires an OSH committee at 50 or more workers for work lasting more than six months, and the EU requires consultation and participation of workers.

What the federal texts do require

The UAE approach puts participation into the employer's OSH system rather than into a separate statutory body.

A practical model

A voluntary OSH committee is a simple way to show participation and to produce the meeting minutes the register expects, and client contracts may require one. A workable model:

1. Membership: site or plant manager (chair), OSH officer, supervisors, and workers from each trade or shift, chosen by their colleagues where possible.
2. Languages: interpreters or bilingual members so that every main language group is represented.
3. Agenda: incidents and near misses, inspection findings, risk assessment updates, heat-stress measures before and during the midday-break period, accommodation and transport conditions, worker suggestions.
4. Frequency: set by the employer or the client; monthly is common practice, not a legal interval.
5. Records: minutes, actions and owners filed in the OSH register.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a Türkiye or EU style committee duty applies. It does not under federal UAE law, but participation channels do.
• Collecting suggestions and never answering them. The OSH officer must act on them, and the register should show it.
• Forgetting the site's own regime. Abu Dhabi's OSHAD-SF, a free zone or the client may impose a committee.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in United Arab Emirates: law, authorities and employer duties
• What OSH training must employers provide in the UAE?
• Comparison of OSH laws: appointments and reporting deadlines

Standards and further reading

• Administrative Decision No. 19 of 2023, Articles 2, 3, 9 and 10: government.ae
• Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 22: uaelegislation.gov.ae
• Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021: uaelegislation.gov.ae
• ISO 45001, OSH management systems, consultation and participation of workers.

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.