Article 135 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 135 من نظام العمل · الباب الثامن: الوقاية من مخاطر العمل والوقاية من الحوادث الصناعية الكبرى وإصابات العمل والخدمات الصحية والاجتماعية
A relapse or any complication arising from a work injury is treated as the injury itself, and the same assistance and treatment rules set for the original injury apply to it.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تعد في حكم الإصابة حالة الانتكاس أو أي مضاعفة تنشأ عنها، ويسري عليها بالنسبة للمعونة والعلاج ما يسري على الإصابة الأصلية.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 135 explained in plain English
Article 135 of the Labor Law deals with a common situation in practice: a worker suffers a work injury, then their condition improves or they return to work, and then the injury reappears (a relapse), or a new health problem later arises from it that did not exist when it occurred (a complication). The rule the article sets is clear: a relapse and complications are not treated as a separate medical condition, but are part of the original work injury.
It follows that the provisions applying to the original injury concerning assistance and treatment apply to the same extent to the relapse or complication. A worker whose injury has relapsed may not be treated as having an ordinary illness unrelated to work, as long as the condition arises from that injury.
This article falls within an integrated system in Part Eight:
- Article 134 determines when an injury counts as a work injury according to the Social Insurance Law, treats occupational diseases as work injuries, and treats the date of the first medical observation of the disease as the date of injury.
- Article 135 (the subject of this explanation) widens the scope of the injury to include a relapse or complications that later arise from it.
- Article 136 refers to the tables provided in the Social Insurance Law for determining occupational diseases and degrees of total or partial permanent disability.
In practical terms, the essential question when applying this article is proving the connection between the new condition and the original injury, since the article requires that the relapse or complication arise from the injury. Assessing this connection is essentially a medical matter, so the worker should keep the medical reports on the first injury and the later condition. If a dispute arises with the employer over the nature of the condition or its connection with the injury, it is appropriate to consult a lawyer who specializes in labor cases.
Practical example
Khalid, a technician at a factory in Dammam, broke his leg at work, received the necessary treatment, and returned to work after recovering. After a while he felt severe pain at the site of the fracture, and the medical reports established that what had happened was a complication resulting from the earlier injury. In this case, under Article 135, Khalid's condition is not treated as a new, separate illness, but is treated as the original work injury, and the same provisions on assistance and treatment that applied to his first injury apply to it.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 135 of the Saudi Labor Law
Are complications of a work injury treated as a new work injury?
No. Under Article 135, a complication arising from a work injury is treated as the original injury itself, not an independent injury, and the same provisions apply to it as to assistance and treatment.
What if my condition relapses after I return to work from an earlier injury?
If the relapse arises from the original work injury, it is treated as that injury, and what applies to the original injury as regards assistance and treatment applies to it under Article 135.
What is the essential condition for applying Article 135?
The relapse or complication must arise from the original work injury, which is essentially a medical matter, so it is advisable to keep the medical reports on the first injury and the later condition.
How is it determined whether the original injury is a work injury at all?
An injury counts as a work injury according to what is provided in the Social Insurance Law under Article 134, occupational diseases are treated as work injuries, and they are determined according to the tables referred to in Article 136.
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The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.