Kuwait

Organization responsible for the statistics

Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, Labour Inspection Department, Occupational Safety Service.

Periodicity

Compilation: quarterly.

Publication: annual.

Source

Quarterly reports of occupational injuries made by employers to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour.

Objectives and users

To determine the causes, types and treatment methods of accidents, activities where occupational injuries occur most frequently, the parts of body most frequently injured, the consequences of injuries and the effect of these injuries on the national economy, as well as the frequency and severity rates of occupational injuries.

Major users:

Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, Labour Inspection Department; Arab Labour Organization; international organizations.

Coverage

Persons:

Employees.

In 1995, 596,751 foreign employees were covered. There are no equivalent statistics for Kuwaiti workers.

Economic activities:

All economic activities in the private sector and the oil industry, which are covered by the Ministry of Social Insurance. The public sector is covered by its own social insurance. (The data supplied to the ILO for publication in the Yearbook of Labour Statistics cover manufacturing only.)

Geographic areas:

Whole country.

Persons normally resident in the country but working outside the country on special missions are included, as they are covered by the labour law of the country.

Establishments:

All types and sizes of establishments.

Types of occupational accidents covered

The statistics refer to reported injuries due to all types of occupational accidents, including commuting accidents.

Statistics of occupational diseases are compiled separately by the Environment Protection Department of the Ministry of Public Health.

Concepts and definitions

The terms used and their definitions conform to those included in the ILO Code of Practice on the Recording and Notification of Occupational Accidents and Diseases.

Minimum period of absence from work: one day.

Maximum period for death to be considered a fatal occupational injury: none.

Types of information compiled

(a) personal characteristics of persons injured;

(b) amount of worktime lost;

(c) characteristics of accidents: cause of injury;

(d) characteristics of injuries: type of injury, part of body injured; consequence of injury;

(e) characteristics of employers or workplaces: economic activity.

Measurement of worktime lost

Worktime lost is measured in workdays, for all occupational injuries, including fatal injuries, as follows:
  1. temporary incapacity to work: the number of workdays absent from work;
  2. permanent incapacity to work: 2,000 workdays x the percentage of incapacity;
  3. fatal injury: 1,500 workdays.
Temporary absences for medical treatment of less than one day are not included.

Classifications

(a) fatal or non-fatal accidents;

(b) extent of disability:

consequence of injury: recovery, permanent disability, death;

(c) economic activity:

according to a classification scheme close to the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 3 (ISIC Rev. 3), at the level of tabulation categories;

(d) occupation:

none;

(e) type of injury:

type of injury: contusions, concussion, cuts, amputation, fractures, burns, others;

part of body injured: head and neck, teeth, eye, upper limb, trunk, lower limb, more than one part;

(f) cause of accident:

none;

(g) duration of absence from work:

none;

(h) characteristics of workers:

none;

(i) characteristics of accidents:

cause of injury: falling of heavy object, falling of persons, sharp object, machines, collision, penetration of foreign body, transportation, fires, electric shock, explosion, chemicals, lifting a heavy object, gases, others;

(j) characteristics of employers or workplaces:

none.

Crossclassifications:

Economic activity and type of injury, cause of injury, part of body injured.

Reference period

Quarter and year.

An injury is included in the statistics for the period (quarter or year) in which the occupational accident occurred.

Worktime lost is included in the statistics for each of the periods (quarter or year) in which worktime was lost because of the injury.

Estimates

Total number of persons injured and their percentage distribution.

For ad hoc studies, the total number of workdays lost and average number of workdays lost per injury may also be calculated.

Rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries.

The data are processed manually.

Historical background of the series

Since 1993, the Labour Inspection Department has been responsible for compiling statistics on occupational injuries, with the aim of using the information to reduce the number of occupational accidents and injuries, and also assessing material losses incurred by the country because of injuries.

From the early 1980s to 1993, the statistics were compiled by the different labour departments.

Documentation

Series available:

The following tables are published:

Number of and percentage distribution of occupational injuries by economic activity and:

Bibliographic references:

Information not available.

Not all the data are published, but they may be made available on request, in printed form only.

Data published by ILO:

The following data are furnished regularly to the ILO for publication in the Yearbook of Labour Statistics, relating to reported injuries (including commuting accidents) in manufacturing only: total number of persons injured (fatal injuries and injuries causing loss of worktime).

Confidentiality:

There are no restrictions on the publication or release of the data.

International standards

The Labour Statistics Convention (No. 160) and Recommendation (No. 170), 1985, were taken into consideration when the methods used to compile the statistics were revised in 1993. There is coordination and cooperation with the employers' and workers' organizations regarding the methods used to compile the statistics.

Method of data collection

Legislation:

Labour Law No. 38 of 1964, Ministerial Decree No. 17 of 1973, concerning occupational diseases and injuries, and industries causing occupational diseases, Ministerial Decree No. 23 of 1974, regulating medical arbitration procedures in the case of occupational injuries and diseases, Ministerial Decree No. 43 of 1979, concerning requirements to be met at worksites and workplaces in order to protect workers, machinery, enterprises and materials handled against occupational hazards, health impairment and occupational diseases, and Ministerial Decree No. 66 of 1983, concerning the table of invalidity rates resulting from occupational injuries.

All injuries due to occupational accidents should be notified immediately.

Reporting:

The employer is required to notify the accident to the police station and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, Occupational Safety Service. The injured worker may also notify the authorities if his condition permits. A standard form is provided for this purpose. There are no particular guidance publications, but a note is sent to establishments requesting them to inform the safety authority of any major accidents and any damage to machinery and equipment, as well as occupational diseases. The labour inspectors provide guidance to establishments in this respect.

In addition to the notification requirements, every employer submits a quarterly report to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour.

Data reported:

The quarterly report submitted by employers consists of the following:
  1. information about the employer: name, address, economic activity, number of working hours during the period, total number of employees, name of insurance company, number and date of expiry of insurance policy; and for each person injured:
  2. information about the injured worker: name, nationality, age, date of appointment, daily and monthly wages, present occupation, former occupation;
  3. information about the accident: date and place of accident; cause of injury;
  4. information about the injury: type of injury; part of body injured; consequence of injury;
  5. number of days of absence from work;
  6. amount of compensation received.

Changes planned:

None.

Additional information

Occupational injuries are compensated under the terms of Ministerial Decree No. 66 of 1983 and Article 65 of the Labour Law in the private sector No. 38 of 1964. The employer or the worker submits the claim for compensation, for which there is no time limit, to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour.

It is intended to change Labour Law No. 38 of 1964 and the compensation scheme within the next few years, in order to adapt it to economic, social and technological developments.