Does the law in Uganda provide for the health and safety of employees?
What are the rights of employees in relation to health and safety?
What happens if an employee gets injured at the workplace?
An employee must be compensated by his or her employee in the event that as a result of the injury he or she is unable to work anymore or is incapacitated for at least three consecutive days from earning full wages at the work at which he or she was employed.
In case an employee dies does as a result of the injury then the employer must compensate the lawful survivors/dependants through the Labour Commissioner according to the degree of dependence of the survivors to the deceased. This is because the Workers' Compensation Act 2006 requires employers to provide compensation to workers for injuries suffered and scheduled diseases incurred in the course of their employment.
What happens if an employee gets injured or dies while travelling to or from work?
The employer is still held accountable and must pay compensation as it will be treated as having occurred during the course of his or her employment.
What if the incapacity or death of the worker was due to the recklessness or negligence of the worker or otherwise?
The employer must still pay compensation.
Compensation in cases of permanent incapacity or death shall, in principle, be paid in the form of periodic payments; otherwise, they may be awarded in lump sums as required by law.