We recently received a query from a company in the shipping industry concerning the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA). They have about 30 employees whom they have covered with Group Personal Accident (GPA) insurance.

The question was whether they were still required to have WICA insurance. It may be surprising to some that such questions arise despite the WICA being in force since April 2008. GPA can cover employees in the event of an accident here or overseas anytime.

The WICA in Singapore makes the employer liable for any accident "arising out of and during the course of employment". If there are circumstances where the GPA does not apply, say for employees under probation, and an employee is involved in any kind of accident, the company will be held liable even if it is due the employee's negligence. The practice amongst many companies here is to have WICA insurance in addition to others like GPA and hospitalisation.

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If you are still unsure, speak with Anthony Peck at (65) 6337-8016 or (65) 8268-9316.