Article 25 of the Saudi Civil Defense Law

This article imposes an obligation to appoint or assign a person who is responsible for everything relating to safety and industrial security work in the body.

The bodies bound, according to the text:

• Ministries and government agencies.
• Persons with public legal personality.
• Private institutions designated by a decision of the Minister of the Interior, Chairman of the Civil Defense Council.

The difference is important: government and public bodies are covered by the text directly, whereas private institutions are bound only if they are among those designated by the Minister's decision. So not every private facility is bound by this provision merely by the article's text.

The form of the obligation: to "appoint or assign" a responsible person, meaning that someone can be appointed for this task or one of the employees assigned to it.

The controls: this is under a regulation issued by the Civil Defense Council; the person's conditions, qualifications and detailed duties are set by the regulation, not by this article.

The article complements Article 24, which provides for coordination between the General Directorate of Civil Defense and the administrative bodies that have safety departments or firefighting teams to verify the adequacy of firefighting and rescue and the implementation of preventive safety, and Article 26, which requires, when civil defense measures are carried out, not affecting the sanctity of buildings and facilities as far as possible and limiting damage to the narrowest limits.

The owner of a private facility who wants to check whether his facility is covered by the Minister's decision can consult a lawyer specializing in administrative matters.