Employer's Liability For Compensation Act, 1923
Employer's Liability For Compensation Act, 1923
Employer's Liability For Compensation Act, 1923
Aims to provide an employee or to their dependants some relief in case of accidents arising out of and in
course of employment and causing either death or disablement of employees.
Every employee including those who are employed through a contractor and casual employees.
Who suffers injury in any accident arising out of and in the course of employment.
Employer’s Liability for Compensation
Section 3 of the Act provides for employers liability for compensation in case of occupational disease or
personal injuries and prescribes the manner in which his liability can be ascertained.
Section 3 (1) of the Act provides the situation when employer are liable for compensation to his employee
for personal injury caused to him by an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment.
Proviso of sub-section 1 gives the conditions when employer is not liable to pay compensation to
employees:
When the injury does not result in disablement for a period exceeding 3 days.
When the injury not resulting in death or permanent total disability is due to any of the following
reasons:
a) Employee at the time of accident, under the influence of drink or drugs, or
b) Employee willfully disobeyed an order expressly given for the purpose of securing safety of
workers, or
c) Employee willfully disregards or removes any safety guards or safety devices which he knew
to have been provided for the safety of the employee.
1. Occupational Disease (Section 3(2))
Employees employed in certain occupations are exposed to certain diseases which are inherent in those
occupations. Contracting of occupational disease is deemed to be an injury by accident and is deemed to be
arisen out of employment and in the course of employment.
Schedule III to the Act gives the list of occupational diseases. This schedule is divided in three parts: Part
A, Part B & Part C.
Part A gives the list of occupational disease and contracting of such diseases is deemed to be an inquiry
by accident and is deemed to be arisen out of employment and in the course of employment.
Part B gives the list of occupational diseases and contracting of such diseases is deemed to be an injury
by accident and is deemed to be arisen out of employment and in the course of employment if an
employee was employed for a continuous period of 6 months or more.
Part C gives the list of occupational disease and contracting of such diseases is deemed to be a injury by
accident by accident and is deemed to be arisen out of employment and in the course of employment if
an employee while in service of one or more employers contracts any disease.
Case Study -1
Q: An employee who was employed as an electrician had to go frequently to a heating room from a cooling
plant to perform his duties. He was attacked by pneumonia and died after short illness. If the claim of
worker would succeed?
Sol: Section 3 provides for employers liability for compensation in case of occupational disease or personal
injuries. In Indian News Chronicle v. Mrs. Lazarus, an electrician who had to go frequently to a heating
room from a cooling plant, contracted pneumonia which is resulted in his death, it was held that the injury
caused by an accident is not confined to physical injury and the injury in the instant case was due to his
working and going from a heating room to a cooling plant as it was his indispensable duty. In view of above
decision, the heir of the employees will succeed in claiming compensation.
Suit for Damages in a Court Barred(Section 3(5))