Simultaneously with this act, a bill was being prepared relating
to insurance against accident, and also a bill relating to insurance
in case of illness. The latter, however, according to the wish
expressed by the disablement insurance commission of 1894, was
deferred in order' to be treated with a law on disablement insurance.
The accident insurance act, passed on the 23rd July, 1894,
in its fundamental features most nearly resembles the Austrian
accident insurance act. I t includes work people and servants,
both in regular employment, and in piece work, who are employed
in work of the nature of . factory work, or in which other motive
power is used than human muscular power, or where boilers are
used with steam pressure. I t also includes workmen in mines and.
quarries, in the ice-trade, in all kinds of wharf work (houses, ships,
railways, roads, canals), in timber-floating, in railway and tramway
works, in the shipping and unshipping of goods, in work in warehouses
and stores and in the conveyance of goods connected with
them, in diving operations, chimney-sweeping and firemen’s work.
The above-named persons, however, are only insured against the
consequences of accidents sustained during work, when the work
is done for an employer whose business includes such occupations,
or when the work is for the state or a municipality, or is computed
to take at least 30 working days, besides 300 day’s works (dagveerk)
Opportunity is moreover afforded to otber employers and employees,
of voluntary insurance in the state insurance. Of important occupations
that do not come under the law may be named agriculture,
shipping and fishing. I t includes altogether about 10,000 separate
occupations, many of which, it is true, are small and of brief
duration. The number of those who come under the law for a
shorter or longer part of the year, has been-estimated at 80,000.
The insurance is undertaken by a common state insurance institution
guaranteed by the state, and its object is indemnification
against accidents in work, causing bodily injury-or death. The
indemnification consists, as a rule, In covering the expenses of
medical treatment from the fourth week after the accident (for
the first four weeks the sick-clubs are supposed to bear these
expenses), and in paying 60 per' cent of the injured person’s wages
in case of complete disablement, and a proportionate fraction of
them in case of partial disablement. If the accident has resulted
in death, the insurance institution pays the. funeral expenses (50 kr.), -
and an annuity to the bereaved family, which is calculated variously,
but never exceeds 50_per cent of the dead man’s wages.
If he himself is to blame for the accident, no compensation can
be claimed; and if the accident is occasioned by a punishable
action, the compensation is not limited to the normal amounts.
The funds of. the insurance institution are procured by insurance
premiums from the employers concerned, and are calculated
according to the wages received by the person insured, though not
for amounts exceeding 1200 kr. per annum. The premium must' not
be charged by the employer To the person insured. In calculating the
insurance premium, account is also taken of the risk of accident
connected with the work, and • different risk-classes are therefore
established, each with its separate tariff, which is fixed by the
government with the approval of the Storthing, while the government
department concerned decides to which class an occupation
is to be assigned. In each municipality, the1 Local Board appoints
one or more inspectors to look after the interests of the insurance
institution, see to the payment of premiums and of the amounts
of compensation. The insurance institution, however, may allow
payments to be made through the public post-offices.
This act has proved, on the whole, to be of great use to
persons insured. But it has also appeared that the premiums have
been set too low, occasioning a deficit which. it was resolved that
the state should make up. The last year’s accounts showed that
1,147,300 kr. had been paid in in premiums, and 77,900 kr. paid
out to 543 confirmed invalids, 11,770 kr. to 50 persons on condition
of subsequent reimbursement, 7,620 kr. to 55 widows, 10,900 kr.
to 119 children, and 1,440 kr. to 14 parents, about 98,000 kr. in
all. According to tbe account, 1,207,131 kr. have been placed in
the reserve fund. At the close of 189.6, the assets of the institution .
amounted to 1,375,966 kr., of which 578,000 kr. were invested in
mortgages, the remainder being in banks, or in the hands of various
debitors. According to the account, the following sums were paid
out or set aside for payment:
a) . 4,284 kr. towards funeral, expenses*
b) 29,995 » in annuities to invalids,
c) 13,744 >s to the families of . persons killed, and
d) 296,739 » towards the medical treatment of injured persons.
The government, in 1894, had moved the postponement of
the accident-insurance law, in order to treat it in connection with
a general disablement law, with reference to observations made at