Employers' Obligations and the Six Basic Objectives of Workers' Compensation

The basic tenet of workers' compensation laws is that employers are to provide compensation in the form of wage replacement and the cost of all reasonable and necessary hospital, surgical, and medical expenses, for all accidental injuries or illnesses and death arising out of, an in the course of, employment. In return, employees give up their right to sue their employer for damages resulting from injuries which they incur while working.

Each of the 50 states has its own worker's compensation law. In addition, there are federal laws, including the District of Columbia Workers' Compensation Act, the Federal Employee's Compensation Act, and the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.

Employers, in understanding what their workers' compensation obligations are, should be aware of the following six basic objectives that underly workers' compensation laws:

1. Provide sure, prompt, and reasonable income and medical benefits to work accident victims, or income benefits to their dependents, regardless of fault.
2. Provide a single remedy and reduce court delays, costs, and workloads arising out of personal-injury litigation.
3. Relieve public and private charities of financial drains incident to uncompensated industrial accidents.
4. Eliminate payment of fees to lawyers and witnesses as well as time-consuming trials and appeals.
5. Encourage maximum employer interest in safety and rehabilitation through an appropriate experience-rating mechanism.
6. Promote the frank and open study of causes of accidents (rather than concealment of fault), thereby reducing preventable accidents and human suffering.

For some ideas on how employers can control workers' compensation costs, simply click on the following link.

Workers' Compensation - 10 Suggestions For Controlling Cost

Comments

[Postergal]

An employee-employer relationship is regulated by the state. That is why laws are implemented to safeguard this relationship. When employees waive certain right, it must be legal and the employer must give something in lieu of such right.

[lawyer philippines]

Employers should give proper compensation to their employees based on their kind of work, age and danger of their work. They must provide health benefits and the like. Moreover, employers must consult lawyers of the company as to know proper compensation they must give to their employees.