Despite the high incidence of heatstroke cases occurring in the Sultanate particularly during the hot summer months, standard Workmen’s Compensation Insurance policies do not provide coverage against this common occupational medical condition, a key representative of the Oman Insurance Association (OIA) has warned.
Deepak Arora, an executive member of the officially sanctioned industry body, said the omission is illustrative of the “casual” manner in which a majority of companies in the Sultanate approach their obligations mandated under Oman’s Workmen’s Compensation Insurance laws.
Speaking at the Occupational Health & Safety Forum, which concluded at the Crowne Plaza Muscat on Thursday, Arora said the shortcomings are primarily inherent in the workmen’s insurance policies of many mid-size and small enterprises where awareness of occupational-related liabilities is lacking. Large corporates, in contrast, typically appoint professionals who are savvy about these issues and ensure that labour insurance policies are structured to address all possible workmen’s related liabilities.
An industry veteran, Arora was nominated by the Oman Insurance Association to make a presentation on the important role that insurance coverage can play in safeguarding the well-being of a company’s labour force, which he described as the “production engine” of an employer.
Under Omani laws, all companies are obliged to cover their staff against potential work-place fatalities, injuries, diseases, conditions or other risks. While employers routinely insure their staff in line with these legal requirements, they fail to pay heed to the fine print, particularly with regard to standard exclusions, set out in the documents. Consequently, employers can be held liable to shell out any treatment costs or compensation if found negligent in suitably covering their workers against workplace risks.
Standard workmen’s compensation insurance policies offered by insurers typically exclude commonplace occupationally-related health conditions, such as heatstroke, hernia and other such risks, according to Arora. This is because many insurers tend to limit their exposure to potential claims.
In doing so, they also tend to neglect their “social responsibility” to educate their clients about such liabilities, he noted. The insurance expert estimates that “60-70 per cent” of companies are generally clueless about what risks and liabilities to cover against when buying workmen’s compensation insurance policies. Typically, they opt for standard policies, oblivious of the fact that certain liabilities peculiar to their nature of operations are not properly covered by such policies. Such assessments are usually provided free of charge by surveyors, he said.
Source: OmanObserver