The Alabama Workplace Through Its Protective Effort For Employees And Employers

This division humanizes the Alabama workplace through its protective effort for employees and employers. It administers the Alabama Workers' Compensation (WC) law providing compensation for job related injuries and occupational diseases. In so doing. safety in the workplace is encouraged and expanded for all workers.

The law requires all job-related injuries to be reported to the insurance carrier which will in turn file the Employer's First Report of Injury to this division. A record must be kept on all jobrelated injuries and reported to this division until the final compensation is issued.

This division has a compliance section which promotes employer compliance with the Alabama law. There are field examiners in different areas of the state which enforce compliance with the law to provide each employee the same benefits.

There are five ways Alabama employers may purchase workers' compensation coverage:  from an approved workers' compensation carrier who will write an insurance policy; from the Assigned Risk Pool when insurance carriers refuse to write an insurance policy for you; through a group self-insurance fund; through individual self-insurance: or through an approved alternative workers' compensation policy from an authorized insurance carrier. WC rates have stabilized since the passage of the 1992 WC Reform Act and rate stabilization will continue to be a high priority in this division. Two key items in the reform have been responsible for this cost containment: a cap on the amount providers may charge; and initiation of an ombudsman mediation program to resolve disputes, resulting in reduced legal expenses.