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WSIB offers further premium rate reductions in 2018
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Building
on a 6.2 per cent reduction to the average premium rate in 2017, the Board of Directors has approved a 3.3 per cent reduction to the average premium rate for 2018.
This brings the total cumulative reduction to the average premium rate since 2016 to 9.3 per
cent.
The reduction will bring the average 2018 premium rate down to $2.35 for every $100 of insurable earnings from $2.43 in 2017.
The WSIB is funded solely by premium revenue. So, when setting premium rates for 2018, we had to incorporate costs for legislation related to chronic mental stress (CMS). We did so by considering the number of traumatic mental stress and PTSD claims across each industry class over the past 10 years.
Were we to distribute these costs at the rate group level, some groups would see substantial premium rate increases. We want to ensure that businesses have premium rate stability so that they can plan for the future.
In order to ensure stability at the rate group level, we have decided to:
- only require increases that relate to CMS legislation
- cap increases at 5 per cent
- allow decreases up to 7.6 per cent
"This premium rate reduction comes at a time when legislated benefits for those injured at work are being enhanced and when significant progress is being made toward improving our financial strength," said WSIB Chair Elizabeth Witmer.
To ensure employers have access to information about how we calculate premium rates, we will be hosting technical rate sessions for industry stakeholders in the fall. You must
register for technical rate sessions
in advance.
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Compass launches on October 12 - Guiding you to a healthy and safe workplace
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Compass is our new online health and safety tool that is coming soon. For the first time, Ontarians will be able to find and compare health and safety statistics for all businesses across the province.
The first phase of Compass will show you where a business falls on lost-time injury rates, leading part of body statistics and percentage of lost time claims receiving wage loss benefits at one year. Future phases of Compass will give employers additional information that can help them make decisions to improve health and safety, return-to-work and injury prevention outcomes.
Any business that had coverage with us from 2012 to 2016 will be included in Compass. If a business had no injury or illness claims, they will still appear on Compass but without any statistics.
Compass is one more way we are making our workplace data open and accessible. Our efforts are part of a larger initiative, the Province of Ontario's Open Data Directive. The directive is intended to enhance the way citizens obtain, view and understand our data. We will protect confidentiality in the disclosure of our data while supporting the Open Data Directive open by default approach.
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For fatal or catastrophic workplace accidents, skip the forms
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We know the pain and difficulty that can come with fatal or catastrophic workplace accidents. If you have a family member or an employee who has been involved in a fatality or critical incident, we can provide a Crisis Intervention Counsellor to help everyone involved. We are here to support you.
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A new tool to help employers |
In the heat of the moment when an injury or illness occurs, take comfort in knowing that you have everything you need in place.
We've developed
an
employer self-evaluator form
to help you:
- understand your roles and responsibilities when a workplace injury or illness occurs;
- evaluate if you are complying with legislative requirements; and
- identify and address any issues in your injury or illness reporting processes.
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In October 2013, Lance had a workplace accident that changed his life. After undergoing multiple surgeries, learning how to walk again and making the tough choice of a career change, Lance was determined to take back the control in his life. With the
help of his employer and the WSIB, Lance was able to land a new job, and get back to life on the hockey rink.
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Small Business Award Winners
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Announcing the winners of our first annual Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards!
Congratulations to:
- JTR & Custom Works Inc., Timmins - Gold level, $5,000;
- Devolder Farms Inc., Dover Centre - Silver level, $3,000; and
- Mike Moore Construction Ltd., Sault Ste. Marie - Bronze level, $2,000.
Small businesses are the engine that runs Ontario - They comprise 85 per cent of our workplaces and 20 per cent of our workforce. They represent hundreds of thousands of jobs in thousands of communities across the province.
These leaders in small business have demonstrated outstanding efforts to create healthier and safer workplaces. They are an inspiration for their colleagues and a reminder of this essential mandate we share.
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Our ePayment option provides employers with a fast, secure and convenient way to make WSIB payments
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We are pleased to announce that we have expanded our online payment options and you can now pay your WSIB premiums online with Visa. You can also pay using MasterCard or Interac Online (debit), or you can make a payment through your financial institution's online banking portal.
We encourage all employers to consider online payments. Online payments are fast, convenient, safe and reliable.
Many financial institutions are phasing out the option of paying at the bank using paper-based processes - so this is a good time for you to switch to online payment.
Find out more about our
ePayment
option.
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For the record: Hearing Aid Procurement
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From time to time, inaccuracies about the WSIB occur. We want to clear up mistakes and inconsistencies and to make sure the public record is fair and balanced.
In 2016, the WSIB concluded an open and transparent procurement process for hearing devices. Our aim was to secure quality hearing aids that would meet the needs of workers with occupational hearing loss and improve their quality of life. Concerns have been raised by some who argue that the outcome of the WSIB's procurement has limited an injured worker's right to receive the most appropriate hearing device in a timely fashion. This is simply not the case.
In fact, the WSIB's procurement has ensured that workers will now have the choice of a wide range of quality medical devices and an expedited dispensing process. The WSIB joins audiologists and hearing instrument specialists in their commitment to addressing occupational hearing loss and improving workers' quality of life. We are confident that we can work in partnership with these hearing health professionals to ensure our workers have the best quality care for their hearing loss.
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This summer, our annual
#PracticeSafeWork
young worker campaign explored the theme of the unexpected workplace accident and popped up unexpectedly on Tinder, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
By connecting with young workers on their favourite social media apps we were able to highlight the importance of developing good health and safety habits and show them the very real consequences of what can happen in a workplace accident. Through our online engagement we've encouraged young workers to ask questions about their rights at work and empower them to have the confidence to talk with their supervisors and ask questions.
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Your Guide: Benefits, Services and Responsibilities
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When you have a work-related injury or illness, we know that there can be a lot of questions. We want to help you understand your benefits, services and responsibilities at the beginning of your claim process so that it's easier for you to stay informed and engaged throughout the process.
We are developing a similar guide for employers that will be available in the next few months.
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"The rate framework - simpler, easier, fairer system"
- an excerpt from CEO Tom Teahen's Blog:
"Starting in 2020, we are changing the way we calculate the workplace injury and illness insurance premium rates we charge. Those premiums fully fund the benefits and services we provide.
To be clear, this new framework won't generate any additional revenue for us - it's just a simpler, easier, fairer way to assign the actual costs of the system we all benefit from."
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"What's New" - a newsletter by the Ministry of Labour:
Stay updated on current news from the Ministry of
Labour by subscribing toWhat's New. Delivered monthly to your inbox, this newsletter features the latest on occupational health and safety, employment standards and labour relations that could affect you and your workplace.
Check out the newsletter here.
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