Name WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION ACT ELECTING NOT TO COME UNDER City John L. Lynds Mill & Elev. Co...... White Cloud, Kans.... Weber Chimney Co...... Chicago, Ill. Omaha, Nebr. Date Feb. 13, 1917 May 23, 1917 June 20, 1917 Grand Union Tea Co.. July 9, 1917 N. C. Brorson July 19, 1917 C. J. Beckman Blair, Nebr. July 19, 1917 Lincoln Brick Works (C. Klose Mgr) Lincoln, Nebr. July 21, 1917 PART IV Workmen's Compensation Law "Accidents result from the carelessness of ourselves or those with whom we come in contact. Safety, like charity, begins at home. We must become careful men and women, and by the power of example can teach the careless ones. Continued carefulness and thoughtfulness makes us alert to the welfare of those who cross our path. This must result in fewer accidents. Let us be careful." "And when your work is done, it is done well if it is done safely. "If you don't believe in Safety First, visit the reception ward of a hospital." "Safety First is a mighty fine rule to follow; especially if you haven't lost a limb first." THE WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION LAW STATISTICAL DATA It will be noticed throughout the Biennial Report no attempt is made to go into extended detail. We are using, for the most part, the totals and such other information as the reader will most likely carry away with him. Often so much unnecessary detail is given that the average reader is at a loss to lay his finger on just the exact knowledge he is after. In the compensation tables which follow, for example, we have purposely omitted details of facts by months, but have instead grouped them all into general tables. A brief explanation of terms at this point will help to more clearly read the report. There has been a mistake in interpreting such terms as compensation and non-compensation. The following definition of compensation taken from Bouvier's Law Dictionary should make the meaning clear. Compensation is: "Something to be done, for or paid to a person of equal value for something of which he has been deprived by the acts or negligence of the party so doing or paying." According to this definition an employee who was injured and who was allowed only medical care would have to come within the meaning of this definition. What he received (medical care) is considered to be of equal value with something (capacity to work) of which he has been deprived. Had it been considered that his deprivation was greater than this, he would be given more by way of a specific amount per week for a definite number of weeks, as it would take this extra amount to equal what he had been deprived of. A Non-Compensation case is one, therefore, for which any returns whatsoever, medical, hospital or money, are denied. Where settlement is effected between employer and employee through the offices of the Chief Deputy Commissioner without filing for a hearing, it is wrong to designate them as non-compensation cases. Non-compensation cases, therefore, are cases filed for hearing with the Compensation Commissioner and after filing does not refer in any way to the manner of settlement. That is to say, after a case is filed it may be settled without a hearing or with a hearing, but in either event compensation must be denied or not paid to come under the definition of non-compensation. The following statistical data of compensation cases are divided as follows: The first tables are a general compilation for the entire year with no attempt to classify them as to the time injuries lasted. The second set of tables goes a step further by classifying the injuries of duration of injury ranging from no days lost to seven, with the number of cases under each division for the year, the amount of medical and hospital, and the average benefit. In many cases an employee may receive a minor injury which will not cause him to lose any time, but which will call for treatment. In other cases but one-half day is lost and so on down to seven days. The compensation cases which cause the loss of more than one week are divided into periods of weeks. The tabulation begins with injuries lasting two weeks and run up to those which cause the loss of twenty-four weeks time. All injuries causing a greater loss of time are put in one class, "More than twenty-four weeks." It will be noted that money compensation is added to this table: the total compensations, therefore, would be the sum of the medical and hospital and the money compensation. This sum is averaged and placed in the last column, headed, "Average Compensation." It should be borne in mind that the tables are made for compensation cases for one week or less; for more than one week a separate classification is made because the law clearly makes such a division. GENERAL REPORT OF ACCIDENTS FROM JANUARY 1ST TO DECEMBER 31ST, 1917 Total number of cases of negligence of fellow workmen.. 198 2,693 8,271 |