Company convicted under Singapore's Work Injury Compensation Act
A freight forwarding company in Singapore has been penalised after failing to compensate an employee who suffered permanent incapacity within the stipulated timeframe, according to reports.
AIS Global Forwarders was previously ordered on two separate occasions to pay an employee $98,000 after he suffered a head injury following an incident in 2022, The Straits Times reported.
In the incident, the employee was struck in the forehead by the handle of an exercise machine that he was instructed to carry from a flat in Shelford Road in January 2022.
Details about the injury and the employee's current condition were not disclosed in court. However, it was found that AIS Global Forwarders did not have a valid work injury compensation insurance policy to cover him for the injury.
A notice of assessment of compensation was first sent to the freight forwarding firm in July 2023 that required it to pay the employee compensation within 21 days of the date of the notice.
A Certificate of Order was later sent to the company in August 2023, requiring it to pay more than $98,000 within 21 days of the service date of the order.
But the company did not abide by the order and was later charged with an offence under the Work Injury Compensation Act, according to The Straits Times report.
It was convicted this month for the offence and was fined $9,000 by the court.
The Straits Times said it reached out to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to confirm if AIS has already compensated the employee.
Singapore's Work Injury Compensation Act lets employees make claims for work-related injuries without needing to file a civil suit.
According to MOM, it aims to be a "low-cost and quicker alternative" for settling compensation claims.
