Interpretation

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires“accident” refers to an unforeseen event occurring as a result of the operation of an external cause or causes and which produces physical injury to the insured person; “actuary” means a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries or of the Faculty of Actuaries of Great Britain or a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries of the United States of America, or any Institute which is a member of the International Association of Actuaries; 8 “appointed day” in relation to any provision of this Act or to any class of insured persons, means the day appointed under section 1 in respect of that provision or class; “award” means an award of a benefit; “beneficiary” means a person entitled to a benefit; “benefit” means a benefit which is payable under this Act; “Board” means the Social Security Board established under “Chief Executive Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer appointed by the Minister pursuant to section 35 and includes any person appointed or empowered to act in his place; “claimant” means a person claiming a benefit under this Act; “common law union” means the relationship that is established when a man and a woman who are not legally married to each other or to any other person cohabit together continuously as husband and wife for a period of at least five years; “contribution” means a contribution payable under this Act; “contribution card” means a card issued by the Board for the purpose of the payment of contributions by means of insurance stamps affixed thereto; “contribution week” means a period of seven consecutive days commencing from midnight on any Sunday; “employed person” means a person employed in insurable employment as defined by section 3; “employer” means any person who employs or on whose behalf any other person employs any person and includes9 (a) any body of persons, whether such body be a legal person or not; (b) any managing agent of an employer; (c) the personal representative of a deceased (d) in relation to a person engaged in plying for hire with any vehicle or vessel the use of which is obtained from the owner thereof under a contract of bailment (other than a hire purchase agreement), the owner; or (e) in relation to a person employed for the purpose of any game or recreation and engaged or paid through a club, the Chief Executive Officer, or where the club is managed by a committee, the members of the managing committee of the club; “employment” includes any trade, business, profession, office or vocation and “employed” shall be construed accordingly, except in the expression “employed person”; “employment injury” means an injury arising out of and in the course of employment; “Fund” means the Social Security Fund established under “incapable of work” means incapable of engaging in gainful occupation by reason of some specific disease or bodily or mental disablement or deemed, in accordance with regulations, to be so incapable; “insurable employment” means any employment specified in Part I of Schedule I; 10 “insurance stamp” means any label, stamp or device issued pursuant to this Act for denoting the payment of contributions; “insured person” means a person insured under this Act; “managing agent” means any person appointed or acting as the representative of another person for the purpose of carrying on such other person’s trade or business, but does not include an individual Chief Executive Officer subordinate to an employer; “mariner” means– (a) a master or member of the crew of a vessel; or (b) a person employed in any other capacity on board a vessel whose employment on such a vessel is that of an employed person under paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule I; “master” when used in relation to a vessel, means any person except a pilot having charge or command of the vessel; CAP. 318. “medical practitioner” means a person registered under the Medical Practitioners Registration Act, and includes any Government Medical Officer; “member of the crew” in relation to a vessel or an aircraft, means every person (except a master or pilot) employed or engaged in any capacity on board the vessel or aircraft; “Minister” means the Minister responsible for Social Security; “self-employed person” means a person gainfully occupied in Belize who is not a person employed under an employer; “Social Security Investment Committee” means the Committee established under section 49; 11 “unpaid apprentice” means an apprentice who, under his contract of apprenticeship, receives no pecuniary remuneration; “voluntary insured person” means an insured person whose insurance under this Act is continued voluntarily pursuant to section 4 and “voluntarily contribution” and “voluntary contributor” shall be construed accordingly; and “wages” include salary or any other pecuniary remuneration as may be prescribed. (2) The expression “the husband” or “the wife” in relation to a person who had married more than once refers only to the last husband or wife respectively.