Workers’ compensation laws are designed to provide some degree of financial protection, or relief, should a company employee be injured on the job, regardless of whose fault it is for the injury or death.

These laws were introduced over time, as part of measures to help protect workers from employers, who often failed to provide them with the protection they needed in terms of workplace health and safety.

Today, most employers are more responsible and not only willingly comply with these laws, but it is both a moral and ethical responsibility to care for the people they employ.

The nature of workers’ compensation laws, how much someone is entitled to, what the definitions of injury and fault are, and other considerations will vary from state to state and country to country, but there are a number of basic principles that will underpin all this type of legislation.

These laws are of special relevance for all types of agricultural and livestock activities, since there are significant risks in normal day-to-day work, some of which can be quantified and treated, others risks that are inherent to the nature of the work. itself.

Workers’ compensation rules are designed to provide compensation to an employee or their family, and that employee becomes unable to perform their duties due to an injury or accident sustained during the course of employment.

There may be certain conditions as to how long an employee must have been with a company or business before such policies take effect, but even these will normally be fairly minimal, often around 30 days or so.

Normally, both the employer and the employee will contribute to a workers’ compensation fund that will be established by a local authority. This is a contribution, similar to an insurance premium, and while not technically an insurance policy, workers’ compensation typically acts in a similar way.

The main element of these laws is essentially to provide no-fault financial compensation to alleviate significant distress at the time of the injury or accident.

There will normally be some conditions attached to any claim, again similar to an insurance policy.

These conditions will normally apply to the time period within which a claim must be reported, how the accident was reported or handled, and what the employee may be required to do by way of examination or medical evaluation.

Payments made through a workers’ compensation law are typically made as weekly wages, in addition to a lump sum. In a way, this is to keep the process in check and provide ongoing compensation while the injury or accident prevents the employee from working.

In the event of a fatality, then there could possibly be a lump sum payable, depending on the terms of the plan.

There is a normal requirement for companies to have posters detailing the nature of the scheme and the fact that the scheme exists for the benefit of the employees. Employers may also have other obligations regarding how to publicize the plan, depending on the nature of the business or the workplace.

This obligation extends to agriculture and livestock businesses, although the way advertising and acknowledgment of the scheme works may differ depending on local authority regulations.

An employee’s primary obligation is normally to notify the employer of any injury or accident as soon as reasonably practicable. This is really relevant, even if the injury doesn’t seem particularly serious at the time. Even a minor injury can become more serious over time and, if not reported immediately, may invalidate any future claims.

Ideally, all notifications should be made or confirmed in writing, either by letter or email, as would be the case in a normal insurance claim. This can make a significant difference if there are any problems later in the form of delay or postponement of payment obligations.

There must also be an accident or incident book located at the workplace, where all accidents and incidents must be physically recorded. This is normally an obligation of the employer.