Covering Employees For Injury Key To Ensuring Better Workplace Safety

Parliament has recently called for employers to ensure that they comply with health and safety regulations, and a number of recent high-profile incidents have prompted the Department of Labour to call for more serious fines to deal with companies that do not comply with health and safety regulations1 - 3.

Having a specialised Group Personal Accident policy in place, which assists in managing an employee’s expenses incurred after a workplace injury and provide expert assistance in claiming from the Compensation for Occupational Injuries or Diseases fund (COID), is also a valuable addition for a business.

This is according to Gareth Beaver, CEO of SHA, who points to the key findings of the 2018 SHA Specialist Risk Report, which revealed that many business owners and executive committees are unaware of the right processes and procedures to follow when it comes to registering and claiming from the COID.

“As many as 40% of the companies surveyed said they were not registered with the COID, despite the fact that registration is a legal requirement for all businesses in the country. Additionally, of the 60% that are registered with the COID, 26% of business leaders said they had experienced problems when claiming from COID. SHA believes that the difficulty in dealing with the COID lies in the fact that most businesses are un-aware of the right processes and procedures to follow when claiming from the fund.”

He adds that businesses that struggle to get their claims processed by the COID, can be made to wait up to a year before being refunded. “This problem has the biggest impact on smaller companies, who usually do not have R50 000 available to pay for an employee’s emergency expenses upfront, leaving the business with a difficult decision to make when it comes to looking after employees.”

Group Personal Accident cover is essential for businesses for a number of reasons, says Beaver. “A well-structured Group Personal Accident policy can provide access to experts who can assist you through the COID claims process and with the up-front payments of hospital guarantees. It also helps employers by ensuring that they take every possible step to look after injured employees. Lastly, the policy contributes towards any emergency expenses not paid by the COID, and assists with ensuring that the employee does not suffer any substantial loss of income during the recovery process.”

He comments that this is one of the most undersold products in the short-term environment, but that it adds tremendous value to a company, its employees and their families.

“It should be every employer’s priority to ensure that their employees get access to the appropriate medical care as quickly as possible following an injury. In our opinion, companies can also benefit greatly from meeting with a local doctor or hospital, and asking them what will be required to get an employee admitted in the event of an emergency. With that in mind, consulting a broker on the best possible cover as well as the correct procedures to follow, makes good business sense,” concludes Beaver.