Injury on Duty
Introduction
The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, Act 130 of 1993 (COIDA) is the governing Act that deals with occupational injuries and diseases.
The objective of the COIDA is to:
- provide for Compensation in the case of disablement caused by occupational injuries or diseases, sustained or contracted by employees in the course of their employment, or death resulting from such injuries or disease.
Reporting and Claiming from COIDA
Step 1
An accident must be reported immediately, arising out of and in the course of employment, resulting in a personal injury for which medical treatment is required.
Written or verbal notice of an injury at work is to be given to Glucode before the completion of the day. Good practice on the side of Glucode will be to make a list of all witnesses of the accident for the investigation of the incident. The official form that needs to be completed is the Notice of Accident and Claim for Compensation. This form should be completed whenever an employee has an accident, out of or in the course of employment, that leads to personal injury or where medical treatment is required or in the case of death.
It is Glucode’s duty to submit the form within a period of 7 days to the Compensation Commissioner.
Glucode is obligated to report all alleged accidents to the Compensation Commissioner, even if they do not believe the report.
You are not responsible for the payment of medical costs. If you request a second opinion, you will be responsible for the payment of the medical costs for the second opinion.
Glucode is liable for the payment of compensation for the first 3 (three) months from the date of the occupational injury.
The compensation paid by Glucode shall be reimbursed by the Commissioner.
Step 2
After receiving and registering the claim, the Compensation Commissioners’ office should forward a postcard to Glucode. A claim number (reference number) is provided on the postcard. This number should be used for all paperwork relating to a claim. When the first doctor’s report has been submitted with the accident report, the Compensation Commissioner will consider the claim and make a decision.
After the Compensation Commissioner has considered the claim, a postcard will be sent to Glucode. The Commissioner will confirm if liability is accepted or not, for payment of the claim.
If you disagree with the decision, you can appeal the decision within 90 (ninety) days by submitting it to the Commissioner.
Step 3
If the injury continues for a long time (prolonged absence) the medical practitioner must send a Progress Medical Report to the Commissioner.
The progress report should be submitted on a monthly basis until the condition is fully stabilised. This informs the Commissioner of how long the employee is off work.
Step 4
Once the medical practitioner, handling the case, is satisfied that you are fit for duty, the practitioner will issue a Final Medical Report, which must be sent to the Compensation Commissioner.
In this report the doctor states either that the worker is fit to go back to work or that the worker is permanently disabled.
The practitioner must send this form to Glucode, who sends it to the Commissioner. Please note that the Progress Report and Final Medical Report are on the same form.