Workplace Accidents in Bahrain: When Employee Conduct Affects Employer Liability
A Bahrain court ruling highlights how causation, employee conduct and compliance with workplace safety obligations can determine criminal liability following an occupational accident.
— 21 مايو, 2025 04:00:00 ص — 7 views
A workplace accident does not automatically mean that an employer, manager or company representative will be held criminally responsible.
In a case reported by Al Bilad, a general manager faced criminal proceedings after a worker suffered injuries while handling industrial machinery. The prosecution alleged that the manager had failed to comply with required occupational safety measures.
The court ultimately acquitted the defendant after concluding that the worker’s own actions were the direct cause of the accident and that the necessary causal link between the manager’s alleged conduct and the injury had not been established.
What Happened in the Workplace Accident?
The case involved a worker who was attempting to identify a problem with a spice-mixing machine.
According to the facts considered by the court, the worker removed part of the protective covering while the machine remained operational and placed his hand within the path of the moving blades.
Two of his fingers became trapped between the blades and the machine structure, resulting in injury.
The prosecution alleged that the company’s general manager had failed to ensure that appropriate fixed, adjustable and sensor-based safety guards were installed to protect workers from mechanical risks.
What Safety Obligations Were Considered?
The prosecution relied on provisions of Bahrain’s Penal Code, the Labour Law for the Private Sector and Ministerial Resolution No. 38 of 2014 concerning measures required to protect workers from mechanical hazards and risks within the working environment.
These provisions reflect the broader obligation placed on employers and responsible management personnel to provide a safe working environment and take appropriate measures to protect employees from foreseeable occupational hazards.
However, establishing that a workplace injury occurred is not, by itself, sufficient to establish criminal liability.
Read more here at - https://www.albiladpress.com/news/2025/6063/finance/917874.html
أسئلة شائعة حول اتفاقية تجنب الازدواج الضريبي بين البحرين والسعودية
No. Liability depends on the circumstances of the accident, the employer’s legal obligations, the precautions taken and whether the alleged breach actually caused the injury.
Yes. An employee’s conduct may be relevant when determining how an accident occurred and whether there is a causal connection between an employer’s alleged failure and the resulting injury.
Employers must comply with applicable occupational health and safety requirements, including measures intended to protect workers from mechanical hazards associated with workplace equipment and machinery.
Potentially, yes. Criminal liability may arise where the relevant legal elements are established, including a breach of applicable duties and a causal connection between that breach and the injury.