Study of compensatory accidents in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Although figures of Occupational Accidents are published annually in many countries, reliable data is available only in a limited number of countries (Takala, 1999). Also figures of occupational accidents in most developing countries are not based on proper accident recording and notification systems and under these circumstances, underreporting of occupational accidents is a common problem in many countries (Takala,1999). When legal frameworks in countries are considered, it can be seen that some occupations are not covered by the law. Many researches have been done to reveal the extent of underreporting, factors that lead for underreporting and the coverage of occupations by occupational safety legislation in various countries. This study is focused to find the effectiveness of accident reporting system in Sri Lanka, to study the coverage of occupations by the current law and to propose strategies for improving the accident reporting system. Data for the research were of both primary type and secondary type where secondary data were extracted from the records available at the office of the commissioner for workmen’s compensation and primary data were obtained through expert interviews. Accidents reported to the commissioner for workmen’s compensation during one year period were compared with the accidents reported to department of labour during the same period for estimating the rate of underreporting. Also, the identification of economic activities that are not covered by the current legislation with regard to occupational safety and health could be identified through the data obtained from the office of the commissioner for workmen’s compensation. Proposals for enhancing accident reporting were obtained through interviewing experts in the occupational safety and health field. Results of the research show that 27% of the compensatory accidents are from economic activities that are not covered by OSH legislation and rate of underreporting is 62.50%. These indicate that the legal framework should be changed to cover all economic activities and strategies should be implemented to enhance accident reporting