How The Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act Affects Maritime Workers

The Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) as protection for employees of longshore boats and others working within the country’s navigable waters who have been injured at work and who have sustained illnesses or developed diseases from their jobs. The Longshore harbor workers compensation act covers about 500,000 of these workers by providing them with medical insurance, money for lost wages they have incurred through their illnesses or injuries, and services related to rehabilitation to get these workers back in good health. The Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act covers harbor workers, maritime workers and longshoremen, all of whom have inherently dangerous jobs.

The Longshore Act, however, stretches a bit further to include other types of workers, mainly those who work to extract the world’s natural resources and those who work at the U.S.’s myriad defense bases, as well as those working under U.S. government and defense contracts for projects involving the country’s various public works departments, and those outside of the U.S. too. The entire purpose of the Longshore and harbor workers compensation act is to cover those who desperately need to be covered because their jobs are very demanding and their risks for injury are more severe and more common. For these professionals, longshore and harbor workers compensation means big benefits and more security. Nearly every longshoreman is covered under this longshore workers compensation bill because the government and private agencies must do their best to cover these workers.