Series 042 - Outgoing Letters of the Bureau of Workmen's Compensation

The first worker's compensation laws covering industrial accidents were enacted in Europe in the late 1800's and in the United States beginning in 1911. Prior to the enactment of these laws in the United States, the only legal recourse for employees injured on the job was through court action under the common law. Employers often prevailed in these cases by relying on a number of defenses available under the common law. There was widespread dissatisfaction with this system, and workers' compensation laws spread across the United States during this period, providing uniform and predictable methods of compensation for employees injured while on the job.
Modeled after uniform legislation, Hawaii's Workmen's Compensation Law was signed into law as Act 221, Session Laws of Hawaii, 1915. The act mandated payments by the employer to employees suffering personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of their employment. Payments were made based upon a stated benefits schedule and covered medical costs, lost wage replacement and certain death benefits.
From 1915 until 1939, the administration of the Act was effected by industrial accident boards set up for each county. From January 1, 1940, pursuant to Act 237, SLH, 1939, the functions of the four boards were assumed by the newly created Bureau of Workmen's Compensation, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
In 1961 the bureau was redesignated as a division within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. In 1974, the Workmen's Compensation Division was disestablished. Since then, the program has operated within the Disability Compensation Division. Finally, by Act 41, SLH 1975, the title of the program was changed from Workmen's Compensation to Worker's Compensation. The records in this sub-group were created both by the predecessor agencies, the industrial accident boards, and by the Bureau of Workmen's Compensation itself. The records are not complete for any one board or for the bureau, but together comprise a cross section of records including correspondence, minutes, statistical registers and case files for both employee claims and delinquent employers which provide information on the history, enforcement and evolution of the workmen's compensation law. The records also reveal information on working conditions along with detailed statistics on wages, nationality, job categories, and types of injuries.