Article 14 of the Saudi Product Safety Law

المادة 14 من نظام سلامة المنتجات · الباب الثالث: التزامات السلامة العامة

An economic operator that knows, or is presumed to know, that a product presents a hazard must notify the competent bodies immediately and provide information on the corrective actions it has taken.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

إذا علم المشغّل الاقتصادي -بناءً على ما لديه من معلومات- أو كان من المفترض أن يعلم -بناءً على معلوماته المهنية- بأن المنتج يمثل خطرًا، فعليه إبلاغ الجهات المختصة بذلك على الفور، وأن يقدم لهم معلومات عن الإجراءات التصحيحية التي اتخذها.

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 14 explained in plain English

This article imposes the duty to report a hazardous product on every economic operator, who under Article 1 is the manufacturer, the authorized representative, the importer and the distributor.

When does the duty arise? In one of two cases:

The operator knows, on the basis of the information it has, that the product presents a hazard.
Or it is presumed to know this on the basis of its professional information.

What is required?

Notifying the competent bodies of this immediately.
Providing them with information about the corrective actions it has taken.

The operator therefore does not stop at dealing with the problem internally, but must notify the competent bodies immediately and inform them of what it did. Corrective actions are the actions taken to prevent, reduce or eliminate the hazard affecting safety. The competent bodies are those responsible for market oversight under the Law and regulations.

The article does not specify the means or form of notification. It is preceded by Article 13, which requires the distributor to take part in passing on information about the product's risks, and followed by Article 15, which requires the economic operator, when the competent bodies request, to identify who supplied the product to it and to whom it delivered it.

Practical example

An importer of water heaters in Riyadh discovered, from its customers' complaints, that one model may leak water into the electrical part. It must notify the competent bodies immediately and provide them with information on the corrective actions it has taken, such as stopping sales and warning buyers.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

How we write and review content

Commercial & Corporate Law lawyers: ask a specialist about your case

Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law