Is a safety committee or a worker safety representative required in Qatar?

Yes, for larger establishments, through the joint committee. Since Law No. 9 of 2026 amended the Labour Law, establishments with 100 or more workers must form a joint committee of employer and worker representatives in equal numbers, and protection from hazards and compliance with OSH rules are among its statutory topics. Qatari law has no separate "safety representative" role; the joint committee is the legal channel for worker consultation on safety.

Short answer

• Who must have one: establishments with 100 or more workers (Law No. 9 of 2026). Before 2026, a committee was optional for establishments with 30 or more workers (Article 124 of Labour Law No. 14 of 2004).
• Composition: half employer representatives, half worker representatives. The 2004 text set four members up to 200 workers, six from 201 to 499 and eight from 500 workers; check whether the 2026 amendment changed these numbers.
• Worker members: chosen by the workers' committee where one exists, otherwise by direct election of the establishment's workers under rules set by the Minister (Article 125).
• OSH tasks: means of protection from hazards and improving compliance with OSH rules, alongside work organisation, productivity, training, social services and dispute settlement (Article 126). The committee makes recommendations; the employer decides.
• Safety representatives: not provided for in law. Clients and good practice often add site safety committees and worker safety champions.

What changed in 2026

Under the 2004 text, any establishment with 30 or more workers "may" form a joint committee, and by late 2021 the ILO-supported programme had helped elect 182 worker representatives in 32 companies in four priority sectors: transport, construction, private security and hospitality. Law No. 9 of 2026 turned this into an obligation for establishments with 100 or more workers, with equal representation, as reported in the Qatari press on 5 July 2026. Published legal summaries mention fines for not forming a committee; we could not confirm the amount in an official text.

How a joint committee handles safety

Article 126 asks the committee to study and discuss all work matters, specifically including protection from hazards and better compliance with OSH rules, and to send recommendations to the employer. A committee that works well on safety typically:

1. Reviews accident and near-miss data and the six-monthly injury statistics sent to the Ministry of Labour.
2. Discusses the heat-stress risk assessment and summer schedule before May, as the heat-stress decision requires the assessment to be done together with the workers.
3. Joins site inspections and follows up corrective actions.
4. Hears worker complaints, including the right to stop work under Decision No. 17 of 2021 when heat stress threatens safety.

The Ministry of Labour, the ILO and the UK Health and Safety Executive have worked on a training module for joint committee members focused on risk management at enterprise level.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the old 30-worker voluntary rule still applies; from 2026 the committee is mandatory at 100 workers.
• Letting management choose the worker members: they come from the workers' committee or a direct election.
• Treating the committee as a social forum only; OSH is a statutory topic and the heat-stress assessment must involve workers.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in Qatar: law, authorities and employer duties
• OSH committees and worker representatives in Türkiye
• Is a written risk assessment mandatory in Qatar?
• Workers' duties under the EU Framework Directive

Standards and further reading

• Law No. 14 of 2004 promulgating the Labour Law, Articles 124 to 126, Al Meezan legal portal: almeezan.qa (search for Law No. 14 of 2004); English text used: Al Meezan export.pdf)
• Law No. 9 of 2026 amending the Labour Law (check the text on Al Meezan); press report of 5 July 2026: qatar-tribune.com
• ILO Project Office for Qatar, progress reports 2021 and 2023: 2021, 2023

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.