We've Come A Long Way, Baby: Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance

As Loretta Lynn once sang, "We've come a long way, baby." In just the past 130 years, we've come from the union busting days of the Haymarket Riot to laws like the Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance Act. Then, when people gathered to support strike workers, police came to disperse them. In response, one person threw a bomb at the police, and a riot ensued. Now, we have an international May Day in observance of workers.

We do more than celebrate workers, though. There have been numerous acts of legislation in protection of workers. Today, workers have the right to safe working environment. Employers liability compulsory insurance belongs to a whole different world. Not too long ago, people routinely died in mine collapses, were poisoned by asbestos, worked butchering animals 18 hour days up to their knees in blood, and worse. It's a sharp contrast to the expectations of the modern worker.

These days, employers are required to provide insurance to cover the illnesses or injuries, on or off site, that happen to their workers. It's called the Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance Act. What a world of difference from the times when the worker's safety depended on the whim of the employer, and if he or she was hurt then they were out of both luck and a paycheck. What a difference the employers liability compulsory insurance makes to injured or ill workers!

What exactly is employers liability compulsory insurance? It's insurance that all employers have to have, whether they're corporate industries, auto manufacturers, contractors, or professional hairdressers. It covers employee claims to injuries sustained on or off site, or illness related to work. It covers the related medical expenses as well as lost income due to the injury or illness. However, if the injuries result from motor vehicle use, it is covered under separate motor vehicle insurance.

This is different from public liability insurance, which covers claims made by the public against the business. This kind of coverage is generally voluntary. By contrast, employers liability compulsory insurance is, as the name implies, compulsory.

There is generally a minimum amount of employers liability compulsory insurance required by the government. However, companies with high-risk work, such as asbestos removal or construction of skyscrapers, would want a higher level of coverage than what the government requires.

We've certainly come a long way, from violent union busting to employers liability compulsory insurance. What a difference labor rights have made, even in just the last century!