Washington’s New Industrial Insurance Program Hits Its Stride
A progress report from the state’s Workmen’s Compensation Commission reveals a busy start, thousands of claims, and the curious realities of the injured worker's experience.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The industrial insurance commission issued a summary of four months of operation for the workmen’s compensation act. Since October 1, 1911, the commission has listed 4,540 firms and 100,000 employees. There were 2,700 accidents reported and 1,500 claims adjusted. The accident fund has received $428,057.72, with $67,389.08 paid out for claims. The commission notes that 'one hundred cents shall go to the injured workman out of every dollar paid out by the employer.' Among the curious cases noted were a man claiming $2.50 for a pot of paint that fell from a scaffold, and a Bellingham claimant who could not secure a doctor's certificate because he had been treated by a horse doctor who refused to sign the official paperwork.
“One hundred cents shall go to the injured workman out of every dollar paid out by the employer for that purpose.”
This 1912 report marks the early days of Washington’s landmark workers' compensation system, a program that fundamentally shifted responsibility from private insurance and the courts to the state. Today, this system remains the backbone of workplace safety and injury support in Washington, though it still navigates the same tension between administrative efficiency and the needs of injured workers.
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