APIL calls for employers' liability insurance bureau
A scheme similar to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau should be set up for workers who fall victim to industrial injuries and diseases, says the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
While those injured by uninsured drivers may receive compensation from the Bureau, there is no equivalent for victims of injury in the workplace. Consequently, hundreds of victims of industrial disease go uncompensated each year because their employer’s insurer cannot be traced, says Karl Tonks, APIL’s vice-president. About one in 10 mesothelioma sufferers, for example, are in this situation.
Writing in this week’s NLJ, Tonks calls on the coalition government to legislate for an employers’ liability insurance bureau (ELIB) funded by the insurance industry.
He points out that a government consultation on ELIB closed on 5 May 2010, the day before the general election. Eighteen months later, there is still no response from the coalition government.
