Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) plans to introduce mandatory occupational fitness testing for employees in the government, private and non-profit sectors as well as for those who take up new jobs in these sectors. These tests will be carried out under certain specific occasions. The ministry published the National Regulations for Occupational Fitness Tests on the Istitlaa Public Survey platform seeking the viewpoints and opinions of the public and the stakeholders before enforcing these regulations.

There will be three types of tests: general medical testing, additional specialized testing, and psychological testing. These tests aim to monitor and follow up on individual health and promote occupational health through pre-employment testing and periodic employee testing. This contributes to reducing work-related accidents and occupational diseases and improving work environments in the Kingdom.

The regulations aim to provide a comprehensive framework for assessing the health and psychological fitness of employees and workers to ensure their ability to perform their duties efficiently and safely. The testing framework will be aligned with national standards and international best practices. These include reducing work-related injuries, accidents, and occupational diseases, enhancing the physical and psychological fitness of workers, and ensuring their ability to perform their duties safely and efficiently.

The provisions of the regulations apply to all employees and workers in public entities, private sector establishments, and the non-profit sector, including all new candidates prior to appointment, and all workers and employees currently employed. This test applies to employees under certain occasions and these include tests following an occupational injury; upon returning from extended medical leave; when there are doubts about the worker's or employee's ability to perform their work; if the job or profession requires a periodic medical examination; if the worker or employee changes his or her profession; if there is a change in the work environment; if new equipment, machinery, or devices are used, and upon retirement from work if exposed to substances with a long latency period during employment such as asbestos. These regulations do not apply to medical examinations outside the scope of the job or profession.

The regulations define the mechanism for pre-employment medical examinations for those working in high-risk professions, standardizes medical examination forms, periodic examinations, and exceptional examinations appropriate to each profession, provides comprehensive databases on the health status of all workers, and improves compliance with local standards, regulations, and international agreements in the field of occupational safety and health.

The medical examination for occupational fitness must be conducted by a specialized team under the supervision of an occupational medicine specialist certified by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and registered with the Secretariat of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.

Upon completion of the pre-employment medical examination, the result will be as follows: medically fit and permitted to practice the profession or job for which the candidate is applying; medically fit, with the restrictions or considerations required when practicing the profession for which the candidate is applying, including the duration; and medically unfit, with the restrictions or considerations required when practicing the profession for which the candidate is applying, including the duration.

If the occupational fitness requirements are not met after the periodic examination, the workers will be prohibited from continuing to practice their profession, and the supervising management must take the necessary measures to change their profession.

The worker or employee has the right to object to the test results within 30 days of notification. An independent review committee, consisting of specialists in occupational medicine and related specialties, will be formed to consider the objections, with a decision to be issued within 15 days.