The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC), through ECC Circular Number 2017-03, reiterated the need for all employers in the public and private sectors to comply with their reportorial obligation in cases of work-connected sickness, injury or death.

As mandated, employers shall keep a logbook and retain a chronological record of all work-connected, sickness, injury or death of their employees. The record may be done manually or electronically.

Entries in the logbook shall be accounted by the employers not more than 5 days from notice or knowledge of the occurrence of the contingency.

ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis stated that employers have 5 days to report to the Social Security System (SSS) or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) any work-connected sickness, injury or death of an employee.

“If the sickness, injury or death has been declared as work-connected by the System without the report having been made by the employer, said employer is liable for an amount equivalent to 50% of the lump sum of the EC benefits provided by the System to the employee or his/her qualified dependents,” Banawis explained.

In 2016, 3 establishments have been penalized for failure to report work-connected sickness, injury or death.

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