Article 140 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 140 من نظام العمل · الباب الثامن: الوقاية من مخاطر العمل والوقاية من الحوادث الصناعية الكبرى وإصابات العمل والخدمات الصحية والاجتماعية
Article 140 spreads responsibility for compensating a worker with an occupational disease among former employers, each in proportion to the worker's time with them, provided their trade caused the disease.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تحدد مسؤولية أصحاب العمل السابقين الذين اشتغل لديهم العامل المصاب بالمرض المهني على ضوء التقرير الطبي للطبيب المعالج، ويلزم هؤلاء بالتعويض المنصوص عليه في المادة الثامنة والثلاثين بعد المائة من هذا النظام، كل بنسبة المدة التي قضاها المصاب في خدمته، بشرط أن تكون الصناعات أو المهن التي يمارسونها مما ينشأ عنها المرض الذي أصيب به العامل.
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 140 explained in plain English
Article 140 deals with a special case of work injuries: occupational disease. This kind of disease does not appear at a specific moment like an accident. It develops gradually from long exposure to working conditions, and the worker may have moved between several employers in that time. For this reason the article does not place the whole burden of compensation on the last employer, but spreads it among those the worker worked for.
The article rests on three elements:
- Basis for determining responsibility: the medical report of the treating physician is the basis on which the former employers responsible for the disease are identified.
- Type of compensation: it is the compensation provided for in Article 138, meaning compensation for total permanent disability or death (the equivalent of three years' wages, with a minimum of SAR 54,000), or compensation for partial permanent disability according to the disability percentage set in the approved disability-percentage table.
- Method of distribution: each former employer bears a share of the compensation in proportion to the time the worker spent in its service, so an employer the worker worked for longer bears a larger share.
The article sets an essential condition for holding a former employer liable: the industry or occupation it carries on must be one that gives rise to the disease the worker contracted. An employer the worker worked for in an activity unrelated to the disease bears no part of the compensation, even if the period of service was long.
This provision is read together with Article 139, which exempts the employer from compensation in specific cases, such as the worker deliberately injuring himself or refusing treatment without a legitimate reason, and with Article 141, which leaves the procedures for reporting work injuries to a decision of the Minister. Because identifying the occupational disease, the disability percentage and the distribution of responsibility are technical matters that depend on the medical report and service records, it is advisable for the injured worker or his heirs to seek a lawyer specialized in labor cases to pursue the claim.
Practical example
Saad worked in chemical factories for 10 years: 6 years for a company in Dammam, then 4 years for another company in Jubail, and in between he worked for two years as a hotel receptionist in Riyadh. Saad developed an occupational lung disease, which the treating physician stated in his report was caused by exposure to chemicals, and he assessed Saad's permanent disability as partial. Under Article 140, the compensation is calculated under Article 138, with the Dammam factory bearing 60% of it and the Jubail factory 40%, according to his period of service at each, while the hotel bears nothing because the nature of work there is not one that gives rise to this disease.
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 140 of the Saudi Labor Law
Does the last employer alone bear compensation for an occupational disease?
No. Article 140 spreads responsibility for compensation among the former employers the worker worked for, each in proportion to the time the worker spent in its service, provided their occupation is one that gives rise to the disease.
How are the employers responsible for an occupational disease determined?
Their responsibility is determined in light of the treating physician's medical report, and then each is required to bear a share of the compensation proportionate to the worker's period of service with it.
How much compensation do the former employers share?
It is the compensation provided for in Article 138: the equivalent of three years' wages, with a minimum of SAR 54,000, in case of total permanent disability or death, or a percentage of that amount equal to the partial permanent disability percentage under the approved disability-percentage table.
Is a former employer whose activity was unrelated to the disease liable?
No. The article requires that the industries or occupations the former employer carries on be ones that give rise to the disease the worker contracted. Otherwise it bears no share of the compensation.
Articles this article refers to
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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.