Read this first
The federal steps are in Cabinet Resolution 33 of 2022, Article 3. The English text is a translation, so check the Arabic text for anything legal. Your emirate or free zone may add steps.
The first hour
This is practical advice, not a legal list:
- Make the area safe and stop the work if the danger remains.
- Get medical help. Call emergency services for anything serious.
- Tell the site manager and safety officer.
- Start the police report if this is an accident.
- Leave the scene as it is where you safely can. Take photos and note witnesses.
- Note the time you learned of the injury. The 48-hour clock runs from then.
The three federal reports
| Report to | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Medical authority | When the injury or disease occurs | A licensed public or private healthcare provider. |
| Police station for the area | Immediately for an accident or injury | For an occupational disease, state when the employer learned of it. |
| MoHRE | Within 48 hours of learning of it | Through its website, app, business service centres or other approved channels. |
The employer or their representative must make these reports. MoHRE's report has to give the worker's name, age, job, address and nationality, a brief account of the accident, and the medical aid arranged. Where you have a safety officer, Decision 19, Art. 10 makes it their job to report accidents immediately to MoHRE and other authorities. Treat 48 hours as the outer limit. Source: Cabinet Resolution 33 of 2022, Art. 3; UAE Government portal.
Abu Dhabi: extra deadlines
Under ADOSH-SF Mechanism 11, notify your Sector Regulatory Authority on Form G:
- Within 24 hours: a fatality.
- Within 3 working days: a serious injury, a serious dangerous occurrence, or a diagnosed serious occupational illness.
Serious injuries include hospital admission, fractures other than fingers or toes, amputation, loss of consciousness and electric shock. They also include an injury that keeps someone from their regular or restricted work on their next shift, with a medical report. Judge severity straight away if no medical report is ready.
Form G is mandatory for entities with an approved safety management system and for some medium-risk entities. Low-risk entities should check section 4.3 of the Mechanism. You may still need to tell Abu Dhabi Police and MoHRE. The full investigation goes in on Form G1, and the authority expects completed investigations within 30 calendar days.
On construction sites, serious incidents are notified to the principal contractor first. The principal contractor reports for itself and for subcontractors that are not nominated.
Dubai construction sites
The federal steps still apply. The Code of Construction Safety Practice adds its own (clause 2-4-5). The contractor must immediately tell the concerned authority, the engineer and the specialised department, then:
| Event | Call |
|---|---|
| Serious accident, or a lost-time injury needing hospital treatment | Police on 999 |
| Fire, explosion, collapse of a structure or scaffold, or breakdown of a crane or machine that could endanger workers | Civil Defense on 997 and Police on 999 |
| Any of the above | Dubai Municipality on 800900, or the emergency number of the authority for your zone |
After the calls:
- Within 72 hours: the contractor and subcontractors submit a written report on the approved form.
- Investigation: the contractor and engineering office investigate fully and report on the approved forms.
- The scene: leave it unchanged until the investigation ends, unless that is needed to stop the danger getting worse.
- Records: keep an accident record on site for five years.
- Later: pass on technical findings about the causes and losses as soon as the police, Civil Defense or technical committees release them.
The Code counts as serious any death, serious injury, lost-time injuries to more than one person in the same accident, and any fire, collapse, explosion or hazardous leak that stops part of the site for more than one shift. See our Dubai code guide.
Sharjah
The federal steps still apply. Executive Council Resolution 15 of 2021 requires entities to investigate incidents and report to SPSA under the system's incident classification and reporting mechanism. Check SPSA's current guide for the timing.
What happens next
The police investigate and take statements. They look at whether the injury was deliberate, caused by misconduct, linked to alcohol or drugs, or caused by deliberately ignoring posted safety instructions (Art. 4). When treatment ends, the medical authority writes a report on the injury and any lasting disability. Disability compensation is due within 10 days of the report, according to the government portal.
Pay and compensation
- Treatment: the employer pays until recovery or until disability is established (Decree-Law 33 of 2021, Art. 37).
- Wages: full pay for the treatment period or six months, whichever is less. Then half pay for up to six more months, or until recovery, disability or death is established.
- Death or permanent total disability: 24 months of basic wage, from AED 18,000 to AED 200,000.
- Partial disability: a percentage of that amount, from the tables in Cabinet Resolution 33 of 2022.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for the medical report before telling MoHRE.
- Assuming the police report covers MoHRE, or the other way round.
- Forgetting the Abu Dhabi or Dubai report because the federal one is done.
- Leaving subcontractors unsure who reports.
- Having no one who can report when the safety officer is away.
Name who reports, and a backup. Keep the police, MoHRE and regulator details on site. Our UAE checklist includes this.
Working across borders? Compare accident reporting deadlines in 12 countries.
Sources and further reading
- Cabinet Resolution No. 33 of 2022 on work injuries and occupational diseases, English translation, MoHRE.
- Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and its amendments, English translation, UAE Government.
- Administrative Decision No. 19 of 2023, English translation, MoHRE.
- Health and safety at the workplace, UAE Government portal.
- ADOSH-SF Mechanism 11.0: Incident Notification, Investigation and Reporting (v4.0), ADPHC.
- ADOSH-SF Form G: Serious OSH Incident Notification, ADPHC.
- The Safety Guide for Construction Works in the Emirate of Dubai (Code of Construction Safety Practice), July 2026, Dubai Municipality.
- Decree No. 19 of 2025 Concerning Safety in Construction Works, Dubai Supreme Legislation Committee.
- Executive Council Resolution 15 of 2021, English, SPSA.
- Cabinet Resolution No. 33 of 2022, archived copy, Internet Archive.
- Administrative Decision No. 19 of 2023, archived copy, Internet Archive.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Laws and codes of practice change; always check the current official text and your site's own procedures.
