Spring Break
A Bit Of Insurance
Prof Emeritus Aids Chinese In Gaining Injury Compensation
Heather Murdock
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News
Less than two years ago, UConn Professor Emeritus Peter S. Barth received a request from the Chinese government. As part of an effort to improve conditions for its massive workforce and their families, China wanted his help.
In January 2004, the Chinese government required all employers to purchase work injury insurance. Barth, an expert in worker's compensation and economics, agreed to join a group of academics at the People's University in Beijing. Their task was to study the new program and figure out where it was working and where it wasn't.
After a year and a half of research, Barth's findings are now in the hands of Chinese officials who are trying to improve the country's ability to provide compensation to injured workers, as well as to the families of workers killed on the job.
"The central government is very dedicated to getting this thing done the right way," Barth said in a phone interview earlier this month. He said the program was too new for him to measure its ultimate success, but estimated that, since the law took effect, 90 million people have gained coverage.
The most important challenge the program now faces, he said, is making work injury insurance available to more people. For every insured worker in China, many more are not covered. "Hundreds of millions of workers," he said, "have either no protection or minimal protection if they are killed or injured."
Another difficulty the program faces, according to Barth, is in enforcing new laws over the vast distances that often separate governmental offices and workplaces. When the people affected by the laws are hundreds of miles away from the source of the laws, he said, the result can be "a lot of slippage."
Providing coverage for China's 200 million migrant workers also continues to be a challenge, according to Barth. These workers generally hold the hardest jobs at the lowest wages and are the most likely to get hurt. "They are difficult to get covered," he said, "Most have little exposure to education and many are unaware that they have insurance protection."
In January 2004, the Chinese government required all employers to purchase work injury insurance. Barth, an expert in worker's compensation and economics, agreed to join a group of academics at the People's University in Beijing. Their task was to study the new program and figure out where it was working and where it wasn't.
After a year and a half of research, Barth's findings are now in the hands of Chinese officials who are trying to improve the country's ability to provide compensation to injured workers, as well as to the families of workers killed on the job.
"The central government is very dedicated to getting this thing done the right way," Barth said in a phone interview earlier this month. He said the program was too new for him to measure its ultimate success, but estimated that, since the law took effect, 90 million people have gained coverage.
The most important challenge the program now faces, he said, is making work injury insurance available to more people. For every insured worker in China, many more are not covered. "Hundreds of millions of workers," he said, "have either no protection or minimal protection if they are killed or injured."
Another difficulty the program faces, according to Barth, is in enforcing new laws over the vast distances that often separate governmental offices and workplaces. When the people affected by the laws are hundreds of miles away from the source of the laws, he said, the result can be "a lot of slippage."
Providing coverage for China's 200 million migrant workers also continues to be a challenge, according to Barth. These workers generally hold the hardest jobs at the lowest wages and are the most likely to get hurt. "They are difficult to get covered," he said, "Most have little exposure to education and many are unaware that they have insurance protection."
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