The Technical Commission on Insurance against Employment Accidents and Occupational Diseases (TC INJ) has contributed to the strengthening of workers’ compensation systems and prevention over the 2020–2022 triennium.
TC INJ is one of the 13 technical commissions of the International Social Security Association (ISSA). A main theme that runs through the TC INJ is the role of accident insurance systems in the world of social security. Therefore, this technical commission provided input to the upcoming ISSA Guidelines on Continuity and Resilience of Social Security Services and Systems and worked on a wide range of other topics. These included the extension of accident insurance coverage in the informal sector and the improvement of rehabilitation programmes that support the return-to-work process after an accident or an occupational disease.
One of the TC’s main channels for information is the Global Forum for Work Injury Insurance, which it organized twice during this Triennium. The Global Forum 2020 had over 860 participants and discussed COVID-19 responses, compensation, communication, sustainability and resilience of social security systems, while the Global Forum 2021 put a special focus on the effects of long-term COVID and how workers’ compensation can support the recovery process.
TC INJ also played an active role in the World Congress on Safety and Health at Work 2021, which called for an end to workplace deaths and injuries, as described in the summary report. It also supported the Vision Zero Days 2021 at the A+A Congress, organized by the Special Commission on Prevention.
The TC INJ members are keen to share their knowledge by cooperating with other networks. Together with the Technical Commission on Contribution Collection and Compliance, it produced a publication on The role of social security in promoting inclusive growth and social cohesion: A report on contribution collection from platform workers, and in 2021, the TC INJ participated in a webinar on disability prevention and rehabilitation, which was co-organized with the ISSA’s Special Working Group on Rehabilitation.
TC INJ also co-organized a Symposium on Sustainable Supply Chains in Trade, which took place on 30 June 2022 in Berlin, Germany, in cooperation with the ISSA Prevention Section on Trade. The event provided a sound basis for future discussions on supply chains, coverage and prevention.
