Saudi Gazette

Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has reported that there were 7,908 workplace injuries during the third quarter of 2017, with the building and construction sector topping the list with 3,601 cases. The downstream industrial sector came second with 1,561 injuries, followed by the trade sector with 1,387 cases, Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported quoting a GOSI statement. New sectors have joined the list of work injuries in the last quarter of 2017 and they include the insurance, finance, real estate and business services sector and the post and telecommunications sector with 200 injuries in each sector, the report explained. The number of total GOSI subscribers including Saudis and non-Saudis during the same period accounted for 9,983, it said. All companies and institutions have to be registered with GOSI by law on the basis of commercial registrations and the licenses issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development. Authorities will inspect institutions to make sure they have not violated insurance rules. Inspectors should inform institutions all the instructions issued by GOSI regarding inspections as well as vocational safety regulations. Firms must be given a maximum of three months to correct the violations while the inspectors should give a detailed report to GOSI. Inspectors have the right to go through all relevant records of a firm or any other documents related to the business and get a copy of the required documents. They can also question the firm's owner or his representative on all matters related to his mission, the report said. The inspector can visit all places of work during the official working hours without giving any warning. He has the right withhold his identity if there was no need to reveal it. However, it is the right of the firm's owner and his representative to be informed of the inspection. Inspectors can enter the firm and obtain sample products of the industry to check its quality and content. He should also check the firm's fire warning and security systems. Those who obstruct the inspector's mission will be fined a maximum of SR100,000 or close the shop for 30 days. If the offense is repeated then the firm will be closed down permanently. The punishment will be doubled if the violation is repeated, GOSI said in its report.