Many workers in Ontario are covered by the workplace insurance system, which provides benefits and services to those who have been injured at work or who have diseases that are related to their jobs.
Workplace insurance is based on collective employer liability and is a “no-fault” system. This means that employees can receive workplace safety and insurance benefits without having to prove that their employer caused their illness or disease. They just need to show that the injury or disease was caused by their job. In exchange for paying into an accident insurance fund, companies are protected from being sued for work-related injuries.
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is an Ontario government organization that oversees the workplace safety and insurance system under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act of 1997.
- assist injured workers in returning to work, recovering, and reentering the workforce
- give compensation and other benefits to workers who have been wounded and their families
Employer premiums and investment income provide the WSIB with all of its funding.
- establishes the policies and procedures that govern how the WSIB sets and achieves its goals.
- carries out the functions and responsibilities that have been allocated to it by the law
- is responsible to the Government of Ontario, through the Minister of Labour, for carrying out its mandate.
The WSIB has paid off its unfunded liabilities, putting it in a better financial position. The disparity between the expense of paying future benefits to workers and the money available in the insurance fund was known as the unfunded obligation.
What is the purpose of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act?
The Act is a provincial law that provides benefits, medical treatment, and rehabilitation services to people who have been injured at work or who have contracted occupational diseases.
What are the main functions of WSIB?
We assist people get back to work after a work-related injury or sickness by providing wage-loss benefits, medical coverage, and support.
We are supported by premiums paid by businesses in Ontario. We offer no-fault collective liability insurance as well as access to health and safety information particular to the business.
We are one of North America’s largest insurance companies, insuring over five million people in over 300,000 workplaces across the province.
What is the purpose of Wsia?
The WSIA’s mission is to achieve the following goals in a fiscally reasonable and accountable manner: 1. To improve workplace health and safety, as well as to avoid and mitigate workplace injuries and occupational diseases; 2.
What does the WSIB do to help workers?
If a worker is unable to work due to a work-related accident or illness, workplace insurance pays 85 percent of their take-home pay, up to a maximum insured wage of $90,300 in 2018.
(Note: If the injury happened between April 1985 and December 1997, WSIB pays 90% of the worker’s take-home pay.) If the injury happened before April 1985, the WSIB compensates 75 percent of the worker’s gross pay.
Workers who are permanently disabled may be eligible for a non-economic loss benefit to compensate them for physical or psychological harm in addition to cash loss.
Individuals permanently injured after January 1, 1990, but before January 1, 1998, may be eligible for benefits to replace lost future income. These are calculated using 90% of the difference between the worker’s pre-accident take-home income and the predicted take-home pay after the injury. These benefits are adjusted for inflation every year.
Workplace insurance covers a comprehensive range of health-care services for employees who are sick or injured at work.
- Only one of the following health care professionals can give these services: chiropractor, physician, physiotherapist, registered nurse (extended class), or dentist.
After a sickness or injury, the WSIB provides a team of professionals to assist workers in returning to work. An adjudicator and a nursing case manager are part of this group (a nurse trained to deal with workplace injury). The team may also enlist the assistance of other providers to assist the worker in returning to work.
If you are unable to re-employ a person following an injury or illness, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) will provide programs to assist them in re-entering the workforce in other positions or enterprises.
Survivors of workers who die as a result of a workplace illness or injury are eligible for four types of payments from the WSIB.
If a worker is under the age of 64 and has been receiving benefits for at least 12 months, the WSIB sets aside 5% of all loss-of-earning payments to establish a retirement fund (the worker may choose to set aside another 5 percent ). When a worker reaches the age of 65, he or she receives a retirement payout.
Special services are provided by the WSIB for workers who have suffered serious injuries or have filed claims for occupational sickness. More information is available in the Workers part of this website.
What does Whmis stand for?
The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is a set of legislation enacted in 1988 that are designed to:
- provide information to employers and employees about the dangerous products or chemicals to which they may be exposed at work.
- In addition to the label, safety data sheets containing detailed danger and precautionary information are available.
Before selling or importing hazardous materials, suppliers must label them and provide safety data sheets.
Employers must educate their employees about harmful items in the workplace and conduct worker education programs.
Legal rights for health care practitioners
WSIB is dedicated to safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of your patients’ information. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act both protect personal information.
What are my rights with WSIB?
- To report a workplace injury or sickness, log in to your online services account.
- As quickly as possible following the injury or illness, contact your employee.
- Maintain contact with your employee as they recover and return to work.
- Please provide us with any information about your employee’s return to work that we may request.
- If your employee can execute the essential functions of his or her pre-injury employment or other acceptable work, offer to rehire him or her.
- Let us know if you and your employee have any arguments concerning their return to work.
- Participate in the process of getting back to work. If you opt not to participate in the return-to-work process, we may impose a penalty. Find out what happens if you refuse to cooperate with the return-to-work process.
What expenses does WSIB cover?
We’re here to assist you with your recovery following a job injury or sickness. Even if you have insurance coverage and have not missed time at work, we will cover all approved health care expenditures linked to your claim. The following are some of the health-care benefits we can provide:
- appropriate travel and lodging expenses incurred as a result of your work-related injury or sickness
We’ll explain each health-care benefit and how it’s paid in more detail. In most circumstances, we’ll pay your health-care provider directly (for example, a physiotherapist or pharmacy).
If you experience a work-related injury or sickness, your primary health care practitioner will help you get the treatment you need, which we will pay for. You can use our programs of care directory or our community mental health network psychologist directory to identify a specialized health care practitioner if you need more assistance. These directories include some recommended health care providers in your area who are registered with us.
How does WSIB compensation work?
If you continue to lose earnings, we’ll reassess your benefit every year until you’ve been receiving it for six years (72 months). We’ll reassess your claim after six years and, in most situations, make it permanent. After that, if it’s 10% or less of your total loss-of-earnings amount, you can choose to have it paid to you in a lump payment.
- you’re on a six-year-old return-to-work plan or health-care treatment; and/or you’re on a six-year-old return-to-work plan or health-care treatment; and/or you’re on a six-year-old return-to-work plan or health-care
Under which legislation were the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal established?
S.O. 1997, Workplace Safety and Insurance Act