UAE Workplace Accident Guide: Incident Reporting & Workers' Compensation 2025

Labor Law Article 37: Work injury compensation. Article 38: Medical treatment obligations. Article 39: Disability compensation. Article 40: Death compensation. Ministerial decisions establish reporting requirements.

Work injury: Injury occurring during or because of work. Occupational disease: Illness caused by work exposure. Permanent disability: Lasting impairment from work injury. Partial disability: Partial loss of function. Total disability: Complete loss of ability to work.

Injury: Cuts, fractures, burns, crush injuries. Illness: Chemical exposure, heat stroke. Near miss: Almost-accident with potential for harm. Property damage: Equipment damage without injury. Fatality: Death from workplace incident.

Minor: First aid only, return to work immediately. Medical treatment: Requires professional medical care. Lost time: One or more days away from work. Serious: Hospitalization or permanent impact. Fatal: Results in death.

Fatality: Immediately to authorities. Serious injury: Within 24-48 hours. Hospitalization: Required reporting. Lost time injury: Internal recording plus authority report if required. Near miss: Internal recording for prevention.

Step 1: Provide first aid or medical care immediately. Step 2: Secure the scene to preserve evidence. Step 3: Notify supervisor and management immediately. Step 4: Document incident same day. Step 5: Report to authorities within 48 hours if required. Step 6: Investigate within days. Step 7: Implement corrective actions as needed.

Incident details: Date, time, location, type, severity. Injured person information: Name, ID, department, job title, employment type. Injury description: Body part affected, nature of injury. Incident description: What happened, what was the person doing, equipment involved. Witnesses: Names, departments, contact details. Immediate actions: First aid provided, medical treatment, scene secured. Contributing factors: Equipment failure, unsafe conditions, lack of training, PPE issues.

Find causes to understand what happened. Prevent recurrence of similar incidents. Identify improvements and better safety measures. Meet legal requirements for compliance. Support claims with proper documentation.

Step 1: Secure the scene. Step 2: Gather evidence including photos and documents. Step 3: Interview witnesses. Step 4: Examine equipment and environment. Step 5: Identify root causes. Step 6: Determine corrective actions. Step 7: Document findings. Step 8: Implement actions. Step 9: Follow up on effectiveness.

Immediate cause: What directly caused the incident. Underlying cause: Why the immediate cause occurred. Root cause: Systemic issues that allowed this to happen. 5 Why Analysis: Keep asking why until root cause identified. Focus on systems, not blame.

Immediate actions: Already taken to prevent recurrence. Short-term actions: Within 30 days to address direct causes. Long-term actions: System improvements to prevent similar incidents. Track all actions to completion. Review effectiveness after implementation.

Medical treatment: Full cost paid by employer. Wages during treatment: Full wages continue. Disability compensation: Per disability schedule. Death compensation: As per labor law.

Medical treatment: Employer pays all costs. During treatment: Full wages paid. Temporary disability: Wages continue during recovery. Permanent total disability (100%): 24 months basic wages. Permanent partial disability: Proportional to disability percentage. Death: 24 months wages to family.

100% disability: 24 months basic wages. Partial disability: Percentage of 24 months based on disability percentage. Example: AED 5,000 basic salary x 24 months x 30% disability = AED 36,000 compensation. Medical board assessment determines disability percentage.

Self-inflicted injury: No compensation. Under influence of alcohol or drugs: No compensation. Violation of safety rules: May affect compensation. Willful misconduct: No compensation. Outside work scope: May not be covered.

During absence: Maintain contact, provide support, update on recovery. Before return: Fitness assessment, workplace planning, adjustments identified. Return day: Induction to any changes, workspace ready, welcome back. After return: Monitoring, ongoing support, regular check-ins.

Fitness options: Full duties, modified duties, or phased return. Restrictions documented with duration. Review date set for reassessment. Clearance obtained before return.

Week 1: Reduced hours, limited duties. Week 2: Increased hours, expanded duties. Week 3: Further increase toward normal. Week 4: Full duties or continued adjustment. Schedule tailored to individual needs.

Modified workstation setup. Different tasks temporarily. Reduced hours initially. Additional breaks as needed. Equipment aids if required. Ongoing manager and HR support.

Analyze trends to identify patterns. Share learnings across organization. Update procedures based on findings. Train employees on lessons learned. Review control effectiveness.

Hazard reporting: Encourage near-miss reports. Safety observations: Positive reinforcement of safe behavior. Regular inspections: Identify hazards before incidents. Safety committees: Employee involvement in safety. Continuous improvement: Always looking for better ways.

Incident reports: Minimum 5 years retention. Investigation reports: Minimum 5 years. Medical records: Employment period plus additional years. Compensation records: Minimum 5 years. Training records: Employment period plus additional years.

Total incidents: All reported incidents count. Lost time injuries: Injuries causing absence. Days away: Total days absent from work. Incident rate: Incidents per 100 employees. Severity rate: Days lost per incident. Track trends and benchmark performance.