Worker’s compensation is the compensation given by employers to workers have suffered job-related injury or illness. Benefits include immediate compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and a lot more. Today’s system workers’ compensation program is really complex and arcane it produces troubles for those who must deal with this regularly. Today, workers’ compensation is a ‘no-fault’ system implies that this is just aimed at providing compensation benefits to injured employees, regardless of fault. The overall system has progressed tremendously since its inception, moving toward increasing employer responsibility and injured worker benefits and protection under the law.
History of Worker’s Compensation in the United States
Georgia and Alabama passed the Employer Liability Act I 1855. Between 1855 and 1907, the other 26 states passed similar acts. These acts allowed injured employees to litigate the employer and then prove a negligent act.
Worker’s compensation laws in the United States began to be reformed to lessen the need for litigation and to set the injured workers free from proving that their injury was due to their employer’s fault. Maryland was the first state to pass these worker’s compensation lawyers in the year 1902 in the United States.
In the U.S., the first state to pass such workers compensation laws was Maryland in 1902. The first law covering federal employees was passed in 1906. All states had passed some kind of workers compensation programs by 1949. Such programs were initially known as workman’s compensation. But today, these are known as workers’ compensation.
Federal Worker’s Compensation Laws
- The US Longshore and Harbour Workers’ Compensation (USL & H) covering employees working on the navigable waters of the United States
- The Defence Base Act covering civilian employees at military bases and overseas on public projects
- The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Acts (OCSLA) covering offshore employees injured on permanent natural resource exploration
- The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act providing monthly income for coal miners who develop a disease known as pneumoconiosis
Federal Liability Laws
- The Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA)
- The Jones Act
- The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSAWPA) providing benefits to seasonal and migrant employees who are injured due to an unsafe work environment
The goal of worker’s compensation laws was to provide additional support for injured or sick workers. One of the primary goals of the worker’s compensation program is to reduce job-related injuries. It encourages employers to maintain a safe workplace for their workers.
Today, the worker’s compensation system has made great advances in the area of workers’ safety. Employers have made great advances in creating safe and secure workplaces by considering prevention measures, and training employees to identify a safe environment at the workplace.
If you or your loved one is injured in the course of employment, a professional and experienced lawyer at our law firm will help you obtain the right compensation for your claim. Our legal attorney has a solid history of providing financial compensation to injured workers from their employers. Speak to one of our experienced lawyers to receive the compensation you deserve for your injury!