Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923

Provides for payment of compensation for injury by accident by certain employers to their Employees. 

[Employees’][i] Compensation Act, 1923

[Act 8 of 1923][ii]  [5th March, 1923]

An Act to provide for the payment by certain classes of employers to their [iii][Employees] of compensation for injury by accident

Whereas it is expedient to provide for the payment by certain classes of employers to their [iv][employees] of compensation for injury by accident; It is hereby enacted as follows:

[Editor’s Note: Previously, this Act was called the “Workmen’s Compensation Act”.]

Chapter I

PRELIMINARY

1. Short title, extent and commencement.

1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the [v][Employees’] Compensation Act, 1923.

[vi][(2) It extends to the whole of India [vii][* * *].

(3) It shall come into force on the first day of July, 1924.

2. Definitions.

2. Definitions.—(1) In this Act unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context—

(a) [viii][* * *]

(b) “Commissioner” means a Commissioner for [ix][Employees’] Compensation appointed under Section 20;

(c) “compensation” means compensation as provided for by this Act;

[x][(d) “dependant” means any of the following relatives of a deceased [xi][employee], namely—

(i) a widow, a minor [xii][legitimate or adopted] son, an unmarried [xiii][legitimate or adopted] daughter, or a widowed mother; and

(ii) if wholly dependent on the earnings of the [xiv][employee] at the time of his death, a son or a daughter who has attained the age of 18 years and who is infirm;

(iii) if wholly or in part dependent on the earnings of the [xv][employee] at the time of his death—

(a) a widower,

(b) a parent other than a widowed mother,

(c) a minor illegitimate son, an unmarried illegitimate daughter or a daughter [xvi][legitimate or illegitimate or adopted] if married and a minor or if widowed and a minor,

(d) a minor brother or an unmarried sister or a widowed sister if a minor,

(e) a widowed daughter-in-law,

(f) a minor child of a pre-deceased son,

(g) a minor child of a pre-deceased daughter where no parent of the child is alive, or

(h) a paternal grandparent if no parent of the [xvii][employee] is alive];

[xviii][Explanation.—For the purposes of sub-clause (ii) and items (f) and (g) of sub-clause (iii), references to a son, daughter or child include an adopted son, daughter or child respectively];

[xix][(dd) “employee” means a person, who is—

(i) a railway servant as defined in clause (34) of Section 2 of the Railways Act, 1989 (24 of 1989), not permanently employed in any administrative district or sub-divisional office of a railway and not employed in any such capacity as is specified in Schedule II; or

(ii) (a)    a master, seaman or other member of the crew of a ship,

(b) a captain or other member of the crew of an aircraft,

(c) a person recruited as driver, helper, mechanic, cleaner or in any other capacity in connection with a motor vehicle,

(d) a person recruited for work abroad by a company,

and who is employed outside India in any such capacity as is specified in Schedule II and the ship, aircraft or motor vehicle, or company, as the case may be, is registered in India; or

(iii) employed in any such capacity as is specified in Schedule II, whether the contract of employment was made before or after the passing of this Act and whether such contract is expressed or implied, oral or in writing; but does not include any person working in the capacity of a member of the Armed Forces of the Union; and any reference to any employee who has been injured shall, where the employee is dead, include a reference to his dependants or any of them;]

(e) “employer” includes any body of persons whether incorporated or not and any managing agent of an employer and the legal representative of a deceased employer, and, when the services of a [xx][employee] are temporarily lent or let on hire to another person by the person with whom the [xxi][employee] has entered into a contract of service or apprenticeship, means such other person while the [xxii][employee] is working for him;

(f) “managing agent” means any person appointed or acting as the representative of another person for the purpose of carrying on such other person’s trade or business, but does not include an individual manager subordinate to an employer;

[xxiii][(ff) “minor” means a person who has not attained the age of 18 years;]

(g) “partial disablement” means, where the disablement is of a temporary nature, such disablement as reduces the earning capacity of a [xxiv][employee] in any employment in which he was engaged at the time of the accident resulting in the disablement, and, where the disablement is of a permanent nature, such disablement as reduces his earning capacity in every employment which he was capable of undertaking at that time: provided that every injury specified [xxv][in Part II of Schedule I] shall be deemed to result in permanent partial disablement;

(h) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(i) “qualified medical practitioner” means any person registered [xxvi][* * *] under any [xxvii][Central Act, Provincial Act or an Act of the Legislature of a [xxviii][State]] providing for the maintenance of a register of medical practitioners, or, in any area where no such last-mentioned Act is in force, any person declared by the State Government, by notification in the Official Gazette, to be a qualified medical practitioner for the purposes of this Act;

(j) [xxix][* * *]

(k) “seaman” means any person forming part of the crew of any [xxx][* * *] ship, but does not include the master of [xxxi][the] ship;

(l) “total disablement” means such disablement, whether of a temporary or permanent nature, as incapacitates a [xxxii][employee] for all work which he was capable of performing at the time of the accident resulting in such disablement:

[xxxiii][Provided that permanent total disablement shall be deemed to result from every injury specified in Part I of Schedule I or from any combination of injuries specified in Part II thereof where the aggregate percentage of the loss of earning capacity, as specified in the said Part II against those injuries, amounts to one hundred per cent or more];

(m) “wages” includes any privilege or benefit which is capable of being estimated in money, other than a travelling allowance or the value of any travelling concession or a contribution paid by the employer of a [xxxiv][employee] towards any pension or provident fund or a sum paid to a [xxxv][employee] to cover any special expenses entailed on him by the nature of his employment;

(n) [xxxvi][* * *]

(2) The exercise and performance of the powers and duties of a local authority or of any department [xxxvii][acting on behalf of the Government] shall, for the purposes of this Act, unless a contrary intention appears, be deemed to be the trade or business of such authority or department.

[xxxviii][(3) The Central Government or the State Government, by notification in the Official Gazette, after giving not less than three months’ notice of its intention so to do, may, by a like notification, add to Schedule II any class of persons employed in any occupation which it is satisfied is a hazardous occupation, and the provisions of this Act shall thereupon apply, in case of a notification by the Central Government, within the territories to which the Act extends, or, in the case of a notification by the State Government, within the State, to such classes of persons:

Provided that in making addition, the Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be, may direct that the provisions of this Act shall apply to such classes of persons in respect of specified injuries only.]

References

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