Saeed Al-Suraihi

Okaz

 

The Ministry of Labor has reported that it received 1,132 occupational injury cases in 2012 and 2,272 in 2013, which means that the number of work-related injuries in Saudi Arabia doubled in only one year.



Although this increase in the number of injuries may be related to the increase in the number of projects being implemented in the Kingdom, it also clearly shows that some companies have a blatant disregard for the safety and lives of workers. These companies are not serious about providing workers with a safe and secure work environment as well as with sufficient protection against work-related accidents.



The concerned authorities should be blamed as well for the absence of safety in the work environment because they are the ones who are supposed to monitor the environment and ensure that it does not pose any risk to the well-being of workers.



Workers who are injured while performing their duties should demand compensation and should take the matter up with the concerned authorities because their employer has failed to provide them with enough protection.

If every injured worker takes action, employers will make sure that the workplace is safe. It is time for employers to stop treating workers as tools or pieces of equipment that can be replaced if they stop working due to injury.