Todd Nalor, age 14, of Gadsden, Ala., for his question:
WHEN WAS WORKERS' COMPENSATION FIRST PAID?
Workers' compensation provides pay and medical help for injured workers and pensions to their dependents in cases where death occurs. The first workers' compensation laws were passed in Germany in 1883.
Austria was the second country to pass workers' compensation laws. They came through in 1887 and were followed during the 1980s by Norway, Finland, France, Denmark and Great Britain. During the early 1900s, most of the other European countries enacted workers' compensation laws.
Employers' liability laws preceded workers' compensation laws. They made an employer responsible for injuries to workers caused by defective machinery or by negligence on the part of management. In 1880, Britain adopted one of the first state laws.
In the United States, Maryland passed the first state compensation law in 1902. But the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Maryland law and other compensation acts of that decade unconstitutional.
The cause of workers' compensation was greatly aided when Congress passed the Federal Employees' Compensation act of 1916. This law provided benefits for certain federal civilian workers, or their survivors, in connection with injuries or death on the job.
Ten states passed workers' compensation laws in 1911. Wisconsin was the first. In 1948, the last of the then 48 states enacted a workers' compensation program. Alaska and Hawaii had such laws when they became states in 1959.
The state workers' compensation laws differ widely in provisions and administration. In general, the laws provide compensation and medical care for injured workers as well as death benefits. Employers bear the entire cost, except in a few states where workers contribute small amounts.
Most states provide training in new jobs for workers who cannot continue their old work.
The federal government and almost all the states have laws covering compensation for occupational diseases. Workers' compensation laws exclude most farm workers and domestic servants and some workers in small firms.
A state workers' compensation program may be administrated by a state agency, by insurance companies or by a state agency and insurance companies together. The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs in the Department of Labor administers federal compensation laws.
Total premiums paid for workers' compensation amount to more than $5 billion a year, or about one percent of the wages of covered workers. Total benefits in cash and medical care amount to something around $3.5 billion.
The difference between premiums paid and benefits to workers was accounted for by costs of accident prevention work, building up of claims reserves, administrative expenses and profits of insurance companies.
In an average week, about 60 million workers are covered.