Workmans Compensation

Companies usually organise team building events for employees to integrate and cultivate a culture of working as a team amongst their employees. Team building is a very positive way of creating a community in the workplace where everyone works together and is tolerant to the other. Employers should however ensure that the safety and health of employees is guarded before and during the event so as to avoid cases of injuries and accidents as it is uncertain if the Workman’s Compensation Authority will pay for claims.

Mostly, team building events is not compulsory as it is not part of employees' work description and employees reserve the right to decline to attend such an event. It is only when their safety and health is assured that they will be interested to attend such an event and would value its importance. Therefore, employers should be very considerate before conducting a team building event as they should look at the health and safety aspect of the event. It should be made known to employers that the WCA may or may not pay claims for injuries suffered during such an event hence proper safety plans should be put in place in case WCA decides otherwise.

The Workman’s Compensation works along protocols where it deals with each case individually. It does so by analysing the documents supplied to them by clients and analysing events leading to the incident if they can be still grouped under Incident On Duty (IOD). It is for that reason that some claims maybe rejected while some may be accepted and paid out. Companies should however not feel discouraged to file claims with the WCA. Claims should be filed and companies should leave it up to them to make the decision on whether their claim is valid or not for payment.

A typical example of a claim that we are uncertain that the Workmans Compensation Authority will pay or not is as follows; If a company organises a team building event and at this event an employee gets injured or is involved in an accidents we advise our clients to submit the claim to WCA and leave it up to them to decide if they pay. We have been told that the WCA does not cover such claims. However, on one case we were asked to submit a statement from both the employer and employee as to why they feel they should be covered for that particular incident. This clearly indicates that some claims maybe unclear if they worth paying and you required to motivate them so that they make a decision based on your motivation. It is for this reason that we maintain that the WCA may or may not pay out some claims. One employee's claim was that he believed, if he doesn't take part, he will be unfairly treated and may be overlooked for promotion hence; he seeks to be paid out.

It is for this reason that employers should be put a lot of factors into consideration before conducting a team building event. If an employee is injured during such an event, the employer might find himself with the responsibility to foot out medical bills and in worst cases where death occurs, the funeral bills.

Employers should be alert during such events and make it known to employees that they should be as precautious as possible. This will go a long way in ensuring that incidents and injuries are minimised or avoided completely and companies don't face themselves with the anxiety of not knowing if or not their claims will be paid out.

Do not be discouraged from doing a team building but be informed of the consequences of what to expect if anything goes wrong, otherwise forward with team building.