Compulsory insurance of employees against accidents is one of the most important types of insurance. The presence of such insurance, first of all, is a guarantee of protection of each company employee from professional risks. Besides, the policy makes it possible to receive adequate compensation due to an accident if harm was caused to life and health.
The risks covered by the contract are as follows:
- death of employee;
- loss of employee’s labor capacity;
- occupational illness.
Thus, the insurer reimburses additional expenses for medical treatment. The insurance company will also make regular payments, including annual indexation throughout the entire period until the restoration of professional working capacity or until the victims reach retirement age.
“The advantage of CAI agreement for the employer is the fact that in the event of accident, the payouts to injured employees fall on the shoulders of the life insurance company with which the contract is concluded,” explains Mustafa Zurabov, executive director of LIC Nomad Life.
Employers evade
“Unfortunately, despite the fact that this type of insurance is mandatory, it is regulated by the competent authorities and it entails heavy fines, there are companies that neglect to insure their employees hoping to save money, or even think that nothing will happen to their employees. The topic of work-related injuries is rarely discussed in Kazakhstan, which is why many people think this only applies to professions that are initially at risk, such as factory workers, high riggers, electricians, construction workers, etc. However, as practice shows, an accident (thermal and chemical burns, electric shock, falling, poisoning (food and carbon monoxide) and much more) can happen to anyone,” explained Mustafa Zurabov.
Fines
If it turns out that employees are not insured, the company will be fined as follows:
- small businesses or non-profit organizations – 160 MCI (552,000 tenge);
- medium-sized businesses – 400 MPR (1,380,000 tenge);
- large businesses – 1000 MCI (3,450,000 tenge).
“Besides, according to the civil code, the company will be obliged to compensate for the loss of labor capacity for all victims. After which the company’s management will still be obliged to enter into a CAI agreement with the insurance company, which includes coverage of each employee,” the interlocutor stated.
Can employees influence the employer?
Each employee can inquire which insurance company the contract is concluded with. And if the employer avoids answering, this is an “alarm”, and perhaps the CAI contract has not been issued at all. In this case, everyone has the right to decide whether to change employer or stay and hope that nothing serious happens in the workplace.
“It is not unusual when employees do not display vigilance and do not think about whether they are insured when performing their work or not. It is referred to situations when a services contract (Independent Contractor Agreement) is concluded with employee or even when payment terms are made verbally. In this case, in the event of an accident, it is useless and illegal to demand compensation for damage from either the employer or the insurance company,” concluded the executive director of LIC Nomad Life.
Photos are from open sources.
