What we do

Fedris’ missions are related to occupational accidents and occupational diseases in the private sector, occupational diseases in the provincial and local administrations and, to a lesser extent, occupational accidents in the public sector.

Fedris controls

For occupational accidents, Fedris controls the employers and the insurance companies. We control: 

  • how occupational accidents are administrated by insurance companies and Belgian public services. We do so at the victim’s request for instance, or on our own initiative;
  • the accidents that are disputed or refused by insurance companies and Belgian public services;
  • the settlement proposals made by the insurance companies to the victims;
  • the employers' obligations to insure all their staff and report every accident.

Fedris indemnifies

  • the victims (or rightful claimants) of occupational diseases, more specifically:
    • all workers from the private sector;
    • the mine workers and the likes
    • the merchant navy sailors;
    • people attending an occupational retraining on the basis of a law or a decree after a physical workl incapacity or unemployment;
    • the pupils and students;
    • the apprentices and trainees, also if they are not paid
  • the victims of occupational accidents or their rightful claimants. Most accidents are indemnified by insurance companies, but Fedris indemnifies the victims who
    • are not insured. Fedris acts as a guarantee institution when the employer has no compulsory insurance contract or when the insurance company defaults. Afterwards, it recovers the sums from the employer or the insurance company;
    • work in the merchant navy or offshore fishing. Fedris acts as an insurer for these workers; 
    • have had an occupational accident before 01.01.1988 (under certain conditions);
    • have a permanent incapacity of maximum 19%;
    • combine occupational accidents benefits with a retirement or survivors pension;
    • have had an occupational accident that happened in Belgium and that has been caused by acts of terrorism or by the adventitious and unforeseen presence of dangerous substances or weapons of war. In such cases, Fedris reimburses the expenses made by the insurance companies.

When Fedris pays damages to a worker victim of an occupational accident or an occupational disease, the money comes from the social security’s global management. The National Social Security Office (NSSO) is in charge of the global management. It collects the social security contributions from employers and workers from the private sector and the provincial and local administrations.

In order to finance its missions, Fedris collects money from the insurance companies, the offshore fishing shipowners and the uninsured employers.

Fedris prevents

Fedris wants to help prevent occupational accidents. 

For occupational diseases, it uses

  • the prevention programme for lower back pain
  • the reimbursement of the medical examination for trainees
  • the reimbursement of some vaccinations
  • proposals for temporary or definitive cessation of work 
  • help for retraining after a work suspension
  • free advice about occupational risks for companies
  • scientific studies about occupational diseases

For occupational accidents, it

  • supports the prevention actions from the Belgian Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue by providing information from its database about occupational accidents in the private an public sector. Those data also create synergies with prevention institutions.
  • tracks down companies classified as aggravated risk, contributing to the national strategy for well-being at work.

Fedris informs

  • the victims. Through its website, personal letters, leaflets and offices in major cities. At the offices, victims or their rightful claimants can ask social assistants for information about the settlement of their occupational accident or the indirect consequences of it on their pension or their taxes for instance, or ask general questions about their occupational disease. Besides, Fedris’ social assistants make house calls for the victims of an occupational accident with a certain degree of permanent work incapacity who have mobility problems or for rightful claimants in case of a fatal occupational accident;
  • the insurance companies. Fedris acts as an intermediary between the network of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security and the insurance companies for occupational accidents;
  • the Minister of Social Affairs.

The Belgian State and Fedris sign a management agreement once every three years. This agreement determines the strategic and operational objectives Fedris needs to achieve and which indicators and terms it has to respect. With this management agreement, the Belgian State and Fedris strive for the modernisation of the public authority and the improvement of the quality of the services offered to the citizens. 

 

See also

Who we are

Fedris' publications