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

A safety committee is required in larger workplaces in Iran. Article 93 of the Labour Law requires a technical protection and occupational health committee (کمیته حفاظت فنی و بهداشت کار) in workplaces that the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Health designate, and published studies describe this as workplaces with 25 or more workers. The Labour Law has no separate elected "safety representative" like the EU or UK role. Workers take part through the committee and through their general workplace representation.

Short answer

• Committee: required in designated workplaces, described in national studies as those with 25 or more workers. It meets at least monthly and includes management, workers and OSH specialists.
• Purpose: to involve workers in applying the safety and health rules and to prevent accidents and occupational diseases (Article 93).
• Liaison: two qualified members, approved by the two ministries, link the committee with the employer and the authorities (Article 93, Note 1). Its procedures follow joint ministry instructions (Note 2).
• Worker voice on hazards: any worker who foresees an accident or occupational disease can raise it with the committee or the person responsible for safety, and it must be entered in a register (Article 94).
• Representation: under Article 131, Note 4 the workers of a unit may have one of three bodies: an Islamic Labour Council (شورای اسلامی کار), a guild association (انجمن صنفی) or a workers' representative (نماینده کارگران). These bodies, not a dedicated safety representative, carry general worker representation.

What the committee does

Article 93 sets three aims: getting workers to cooperate, overseeing proper application of the health and safety rules, and preventing accidents and occupational diseases. Members are people qualified in technical protection, occupational health and the technical work of the site. Two of them, approved by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Health, act as the link between the committee, the employer and the two ministries.

A 2025 national profile of OSH services in Iran found that the committee is the most common in-house OSH structure. It found that almost every workplace with more than 25 workers had at least one OSH structure, while almost none of the smaller ones did. The study describes the committee as including representatives of workers and employers and OSH graduates, meeting at least monthly and running the OSH interventions at the workplace.

Typical agenda items:

1. Accidents, near misses and Article 94 register entries since the last meeting.
2. Inspector reports and the actions taken.
3. Results of workplace measurements and annual medical examinations (Article 92), without personal medical details.
4. Training given and planned.
5. New equipment, processes or contractors.
6. Action list with owners and deadlines.

Workers who disagree with the employer

Article 94, Note covers the case where the employer does not accept that an accident or disease is likely. The employer must quickly send its reasons to the nearest labour office, which investigates through labour inspectors. Labour inspectors can also raise imminent dangers in writing and, through the court, have the workplace closed until the danger is removed (Article 105).

Comparison with the EU and Türkiye

Common mistakes

• Forming a committee only on paper. Hold and minute the monthly meetings and follow up the actions; inspectors may ask to see the minutes (Article 98).
• Ignoring the Article 94 register. A recorded hazard that was never acted on is strong evidence against the employer after an accident.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in Iran: law, authorities and employer duties
• Must an employer in Iran appoint a safety professional or an occupational physician?
• OSH committees and worker representatives in Türkiye

Standards and further reading

• Labour Law of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1990, Articles 93 and 94: English translation, Iran Data Portal; Article 131: Iran Data Portal.
• National profile for OSH services in Iran (IRANOSH), BMC Public Health, 2025: PMC11995502.
• OSH conditions in small and medium enterprises, Shiraz, Annals of Global Health, 2019: PMC6634465.

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.