An article in Business Insurance reports that workers who toil on pleasure and recreational boats will no longer be covered by the U.S. Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. In its place are new federal laws that state any employee who repairs, builds, or dismantles a recreational boat will be excluded from coverage. The new regulations go into effect January 30.
The worker must, however, be covered by the state’s workers’ compensation law that reimburses employees for any injury they suffer on the job. The Longshore Act provides medical coverage and wage loss compensation for any worker on the navigable waters of the U.S. or when working on a dock loading, unloading, or doing boat repair or boat building. Presently, the act excludes those who work on boats that are under 65 feet in length.
Longshore Act
The Longshore Act first went into effect in 1927 in order to compensate maritime workers and their families if the employee is injured or killed on the job. Compensation is usually two-thirds of the weekly salary while the person is undergoing medical treatment. If the maritime employee can no longer work, he is entitled to two-thirds of his earning capacity. The Longshore Act was amended in 1972 to include those maritime workers on land, though a 1980 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court said the Longshore Act was intended to supplement state workers’ compensation laws, not replace them.
Farah & Farah’s Tallahassee workers’ compensation attorneys will be there if your employer and his or her insurance carrier are not compensating you fully and fairly when you have suffered from an on the job injury or illness. Call us at 1(800) 533-3555 for a consultation at no charge to you.
Source: http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20120103/NEWS08/120109994?tags=|306|73|304|92
