RIYADH — Around 45.8 percent of employees in Saudi Arabia work more than 40 hours per week, according to a report released by the Saudi General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) on Sunday. Around 39.6 percent of employees work an average 40 hours, and the average actual working hours reached 8 hours per day. The results of the health and safety at work statistics bulletin for the year 2023 showed that the percentage of workers who were trained in health and safety procedures at work reached 46.6 percent, while the percentage of workers for whom the employer provides a special health and safety management at work stood at 48.7 percent. According to the bulletin, the most common risks to which workers are exposed to are standing for long periods of no less than four hours a day at a rate of 28.21 percent, sitting in an office chair for a long period of more than three continuous hours at a rate of 28.15 percent, and moving the upper limbs repeatedly for a long period by 17.1 percent. It was also found that 7.8 percent of workers deal directly or indirectly with chemicals, medical waste, radioactive materials, or toxic gases, and 6.3 percent of workers face risks such as electrical danger, or the danger of dealing with machinery or drowning.
