Workplace Accidents in Mozambique: Rights and What to Do

Workplace accidents in Mozambique: the law requires employers to pay for immediate medical care, daily compensation if you are unable to work, and, in severe cases, a lifelong pension — but only if the accident is reported to the employer within 48 hours and the company fulfills its duties.

This guide outlines your rights step by step, according to Labour Law No. 13/2023 and Decree No. 62/2013.

An accident changes lives in a second: a hand caught in a machine at a workshop in Machava, a fall from scaffolding at a construction site in Beira, or a road accident returning from a night shift.

Mozambican law does not leave the injured worker stranded — it obliges the employer to provide immediate assistance, guarantees medical and pharmaceutical care at their expense, and sets compensation and pensions proportional to salary and disability. The real problem is different: many people do not know the deadlines, fail to claim their rights, and lose them through silence.

This guide from Inademy brings together everything you need to take action — alongside occupational safety and health (OSH) rules for prevention: what legally counts as a workplace accident, what to do immediately, who pays what, how compensation is calculated, when a pension applies, and where to lodge a complaint if the company tries to evade its responsibilities.

The rules come from Law No. 13/2023 — see what changed with Law 13/2023 — and Decree No. 62/2013, which approves the Legal Regulations on Workplace Accidents and Occupational Diseases, published in the Official Gazette.

The short answer

What it is: a workplace accident is an incident occurring at the location and during the time of work that causes injury, functional impairment, or illness resulting in death or a reduction in work or earning capacity.
Also included: accidents occurring in employer-provided transport, before or after work when connected to the preparation or completion of duties, and work performed under the employer's instructions outside the usual workplace.
Initial deadline: report the accident to the employer (verbally or in writing) within 48 hours, directly or through a third party.
Immediate assistance: the employer must provide first aid, pay for transport to the hospital, and cover medical and pharmaceutical assistance.
Temporary disability compensation: 70% of daily earnings (total disability) or 70% of lost capacity (partial disability).
Permanent disability pension: 90% of annual earnings for total disability; 70% of lost capacity for partial disability equal to or greater than 30%.
Mandatory insurance: the employer must transfer liability to an authorized insurer under a collective insurance policy from the worker's date of hire.
Claim deadline: the right to benefits expires in 1 year from the notice of medical discharge, or from the accident in cases of death or permanent disability.

workplace accident in Mozambique — construction worker wearing a helmet receiving first aid

What the law considers a workplace accident

The legal definition is set out in Article 226 of Law No. 13/2023 and Article 9 of Decree No. 62/2013: a workplace accident is an event occurring at the workplace and during working hours that directly or indirectly causes bodily injury, functional impairment, or illness resulting in death or a reduction in working or earning capacity.

Put simply: if you get injured at your workstation, during your shift, and end up unable to work or suffer lasting harm, it is a workplace accident.

The law extends this definition to four situations that, at first glance, might seem outside the office or job site:

On the commute: an accident on the way to or from work when using transport provided by the employer, or when the regular route carries a particularly heightened risk;
Before or after shift: provided it is directly connected to preparing for or finishing work (preparing machinery before a shift, clearing the counter afterwards);
Outside the usual location: when carrying out orders or duties under the direction and authority of the employer, even outside regular premises and hours;
Voluntary tasks: services performed voluntarily for the employer, outside working hours, from which the employer can gain an economic benefit.

There is another situation worth noting: an accident occurring at a facility where you are receiving medical care or treatment for a previous workplace injury, while present there for that purpose, is also considered a workplace accident. And if the injury does not appear immediately, it is presumed until proven otherwise to result from the accident—with the burden on the injured party or their beneficiaries to prove the link when the onset is delayed.

What is NOT a workplace accident

The employer is not required to pay compensation in certain cases defined by law as disqualification of the accident:

Accident intentionally caused by the injured person;
Accident caused by gross negligence — disobedience of express orders or violation of established safety conditions;
Consequence of intentional bodily harm unrelated to work;
Resulting from impairment of reason (drunkenness, drugs), unless the impairment arises from the performance of work itself or the employer, knowing the condition, consents to it;
Force majeure, unless it constitutes a normal risk of the occupation or occurs during service expressly ordered under conditions of obvious danger.

Two points balance this list. First: even in cases of disqualification, the employer remains obligated to provide first aid and transportation to a health facility. Second: a pre-existing health condition of the worker does not exclude the right to compensation, unless it was concealed at the time of hiring.

What to do immediately after the accident

The first step is health: it requires immediate first aid and transport to a health facility. The law places this duty directly on the employer — and the costs of transport, accommodation, and food, including for an accompanying person when the injury requires it, are covered by the employer or the insurer.

The second step is the golden deadline: 48 hours. The accident must be reported to the employer or their legal representative, verbally or in writing, by the injured party or through an intermediary.

If your health condition or another circumstance prevents you, the deadline is counted from when the impediment ends. If the injury only reveals itself later, it is counted from the moment of discovery. Missing this deadline without justification can cost you your benefits to the extent of the harm caused to the assistance provided.

The third step is to document everything: keep the medical examination report that the attending doctor must issue upon admission (including descriptions of injuries, symptoms, and treatments), keep expense receipts, note down witnesses, and photograph the scene if you can. At the end of treatment, the doctor issues the discharge report, which the responsible entity forwards to the Provincial Health Board for assessment of the degree of disability.

If the employer refuses to provide the referral form for you to report to the Health Board, the General Inspectorate of Labour notifies the company to present the individual case file and completed referral form within three days — and, if the company remains silent, provides you with the form directly and issues a notice of violation to the employer. In short: company resistance does not close the door on you, it merely changes the channel.

Medical assistance: who pays for what

In the event of a workplace accident or occupational disease, the employer must provide first aid, transport to a medical center or hospital, and ensure medical and pharmaceutical care "and other necessary care", including the provision and renewal of prostheses and orthopedic devices, according to the nature of the injury. All at the expense of the employer or the insurance institution covering the company.

First aid and transport: immediate obligation of the employer;
Medical and pharmaceutical care: covered by the employer or insurer, until full recovery;
Prosthetics and orthopedics: standard provision and renewal paid by the responsible entity;
Accompanying person: transport, accommodation, and meal costs covered by the employer, inside or outside the country;
Advance payment: upon request, the injured person can receive an advance corresponding to one month's compensation or pension for unforeseen needs;
Funeral: in the event of death, the employer bears the funeral expenses.

You also have the right to choose in certain cases: if the responsible entity does not appoint an attending doctor, if there is an emergency in their absence, or if they waive the choice, you can be treated by any doctor. And if you disagree with the care provided, there are avenues of appeal — from the clinical director to the specialty college of the Medical Association of Mozambique.

Mandatory insurance: the policy a company must have

Many people do not know this, but Mozambican employers are required to hold group insurance for workplace accidents and occupational diseases, transferring liability to an insurer authorized to operate in Mozambique. This obligation exists from the date of hire — not "when an accident happens".

Insurance does not eliminate employer liability in certain situations. When an accident is intentionally caused by the employer or their representative, or results from a lack of safety conditions at work, benefit payments must be covered directly by the employer, with the insurer responding only subsidiarily, after the employer's assets have been exhausted.

The same applies when the salary declared for the insurance premium is lower than the actual amount: the insurer is only responsible up to the declared value, and the employer pays the difference — alongside being exposed to penalties for regulatory violations.

For you as a worker, the practical takeaway is simple: accept no compromises. The company cannot deduct anything from your salary to offset the costs of this insurance — the law declares any agreements to that effect null and void. Furthermore, any contract clauses that waive or reduce pensions and compensation are entirely void.

Compensation and pension: how it is calculated

Benefits are divided into in-kind (medical, surgical, pharmaceutical, hospital) and cash. For cash benefits, everything depends on the type of disability set by the Health Board, based on the National Disability Table:

Temporary total disability: daily compensation equal to 70% of remuneration;
Temporary partial disability: daily compensation equal to 70% of the reduction suffered in general earning capacity;
Permanent total disability: annual life pension equal to 90% of annual remuneration;
Permanent partial disability (30% or more): annual life pension corresponding to 70% of the reduction in general earning capacity;
Permanent partial disability (less than 30%): lump-sum redemption capital paid all at once, based on the same 70% rule.

Compensation for temporary disability becomes due on the day following the accident; pensions for permanent disability, on the day following medical discharge.

The remuneration used in the calculation is that specified in the contract — salary plus regular and periodic cash or in-kind benefits — and may under no circumstances be lower than the sector's minimum wage. When the pension is less than ten times the highest national minimum wage, redemption (full lump-sum payment) is mandatory.

If death results, family members are entitled to a survivor's pension: 60% of annual remuneration for the spouse or common-law partner.

Children receive 25% of annual remuneration (30% if there is only one, 50% if there are two or more — up to a limit of 80% of annual remuneration, with the rule doubled for full orphans), in addition to a death grant equal to six times monthly remuneration and a funeral grant equal to twice the sector's minimum wage.

Survivor pensions become due on the day following death.

It is also important to know: dismissal without just cause during temporary disability entitles you to increased compensation, and the company must make every effort to place you in a position compatible with your residual capacity. If reinstatement is impossible, the employer may terminate the contract — but must compensate under the terms of termination with just cause initiated by the worker.

Occupational diseases: the silent cousin of accidents

Not all harm comes from a single moment. An occupational disease results from prolonged exposure: lead or mercury poisoning, pesticides and solvents, industrial dusts and gases, asbestos fibres, X-rays, dermatoses.

The national list of occupational diseases is updated by a decree from the Minister of Health — and even a disease outside the list gives the right to compensation if the attending physician proves the link to the workplace environment.

To prove it, the worker presents the record from the National Health Board and demonstrates that they routinely work in an activity liable to cause the disease. This proof creates a presumption of a connection to the work.

If the disease only manifests after the contract has ended, the right to assistance and compensation remains — leaving it to you to prove the link between the work performed and the disease. And when a disease contracted in one company worsens in another in the same sector, liability is shared proportionally between both.

occupational disease and workplace accident in Mozambique — factory worker with protective equipment

Limitation period: the deadline that closes the door

The right to benefits expires in one year, counting from the formal medical discharge communicated to the injured party — or, if the accident causes death or permanent disability, from the date of the accident. Benefits set by judicial decision or agreement expire in three years, starting from the due date.

There are protective safeguards: the period does not run while the employer, without having transferred liability to an insurer, keeps you in service; and it is interrupted if you accept any payment from the responsible entity. In practice, accepting an informal "allowance" does not kill your right — it suspends it.

But do not rely on this: claimed late, without evidence and outside deadlines, the right can be lost completely. Claim early and in writing.

Where to complain when the company fails to comply

The first channel is internal: a written complaint to the employer, with a signed copy for yourself. The second is the trade union or the workers' committee, if one exists.

The third — and most effective — is the General Labour Inspectorate, the body entrusted by law with enforcement and the authority to issue official notices of violation. Bring your contract, payslip, medical examination and discharge reports, and the accident report.

In the event of death or serious litigation, the Public Prosecutor's Office attached to the Labour Court steps in: an uninsured employer must report the occurrence to them within eight days, and health institutions report the death of injured workers to them.

Legal proceedings arising from a workplace accident take place in labour courts, and choosing a lawyer — or the union's free legal aid — makes a difference in determining the compensation pension.

If your case involves dismissal during recovery or improper deductions, also check the practical list of workers' rights in Mozambique and, if the relationship ended badly, the guide to dismissal and just cause explains the legal avenues.

How Inademy helps you

Inademy exists to make formal work accessible: free profile, simple applications, PDF CV acceptance, and new job alerts via email and WhatsApp. In the Guide, you will find practical guides like this one, written in Mozambican Portuguese with cited sources — because an informed worker better asserts their rights and chooses better employers.

Where these numbers come from

Law No. 13/2023, of 25 August (Boletim da República, Series I, No. 165): articles 220 to 239 — health and safety, definition of workplace accident, disqualification, assistance duties, group insurance, right to compensation, pensions and indemnities, and statute of limitations.
Decree No. 62/2013, of 4 December (Boletim da República, Series I, No. 97): Legal Regulations on Workplace Accidents and Occupational Diseases — notification within 48 hours, benefits (70%/90%), death grant (6x monthly remuneration), funeral grant (2x sector minimum wage), redemption, and 1-year statute of limitations.
MDR Advogados/Mozambique Legal Circle — Legal Alert of April 2014 on Decree No. 62/2013 (mandatory group insurance, reporting, and inspection by the General Inspectorate of Labour).

Frequently asked questions

Does an accident on the company bus count as a workplace accident?

Yes. An accident during your commute to or from work counts when you use transport provided by the employer, or when the normal route involves a specific heightened danger. Report it within 48 hours, just like any accident at the workplace.

How long do I have to claim compensation?

One year from the formally communicated medical discharge — or from the date of the accident, when it results in death or permanent disability. Do not wait: submit a written claim right after discharge, even if the company is "handling it".

I had an accident but didn't report it within 48 hours — have I lost the right?

Not automatically. If your health condition prevented you, the deadline counts from when the impediment ends; if the injury only manifested later, it counts from manifestation. The real risk is different: any disability legally recognized as a consequence of failing to report may cease to be covered, to the extent of the damage caused by the failure.

Can the company deduct the cost of accident insurance from my salary?

Never. The law prohibits any salary deduction to compensate for insurance expenses, and any agreements to that effect are void. Insurance is the employer's responsibility, starting from the worker's hiring.

I am an intern — am I entitled to accident compensation?

Yes. The regulations apply to employees, including trainees, apprentices, and interns. To calculate the pension, the average gross annual salary of a worker in the same company and category corresponding to the training is used.

How much do I receive if I am unable to work for 20 days?

In cases of total temporary disability, the daily compensation equals 70% of your daily wage, payable starting the day after the accident. The exact amount depends on your declared regular wage — which is why payslips are important evidence.

What if the company has no insurance at all?

The liability falls directly on the company, along with all legal benefits — and it faces fines ranging from five to ten sectoral minimum wages per affected worker, imposed by the General Labour Inspectorate. In cases involving unsafe working conditions, the company is also liable for non-pecuniary damages and criminal liability.

In summary, what to do today

If you had an accident: report it to the employer within 48 hours (verbally or in writing, yourself or through a representative) and keep proof.
Demand first aid, transport, and medical care — they are mandatory and paid for by the company or insurer.
Keep all medical reports (examination and discharge), receipts, and payslips for the last 12 months.
At the end of treatment, confirm that the Provincial Health Board evaluates the degree of disability — it determines the basis for compensation or a pension.
If the company blocks the process, file a complaint with the General Inspectorate of Labor with all documentation — within 1 year.