Workers' Compensation

摘要

Prior to the 1850s, employees injured on the job had no real recourse to be compensated for their injuries. Beginning in 1855, individual states passed laws that allowed employees to sue their employers for work-related injuries. Injured employees would have to sue their employers in court, and the recovery process was cumbersome, costly and lengthy and resulted in few recoveries. The first workers' compensation statute was passed in Maryland in 1902. To reduce litigation and costs, workers' compensation introduced the concept of no-fault. A no-fault system means an employee does not have to prove negligence on the employer's part and the employee's negligence does not prevent recovery. In return for a no-fault system, employers received immunity from being sued for their negligence. Hence, workers' compensation became known as an exclusive remedy.