Frequently Asked Questions

This is where the history comes in. Once the claim costs leave the 3-year window, it will get bucketed with the history (also referred to as experience rating factor).
Assessed by your regional health authority. A medical health officer working with the contact tracing team will gather further information in most cases before applying this. If people have acquired infection outside the workplace, and its not thought to be transmission in the workplace, this would not necessarily apply. In some cases, if a workplace is deemed critical to some public functions; food processing, which many of your are part of, their are exceptions to this. This is not automatic that the case count will make a workplace close, but it is the direction from the province that the closures will proceed in the absence of those criteria.
The fastest route to getting vaccinated for you right now is to book with a participating pharmacy. A complete list of participating pharmacies can be found here: http://www.bcpharmacy.ca/resource-centre/covid-19/vaccination-locations
Ensure that your workers are well educated in what recovery at work and return to work looks like so there is less of a learning curve when they are actually injured and trying to navigate the system. If they buy-in and understand what to do, it should help communication from all parties with WorkSafeBC. Second, if you follow-up with a case manager and you are not hearing back from them, you may improve those chances by being as detailed as you can when you leave messages so they best know how to answer your question when they respond. You can always ask to speak to case manager’s manager. To do this, ask for their phone number and do not worry that you will upset them, as this is standard protocol, and everyone is well aware and supportive of that approach, as needed. Last, contact the Claims Nurse Line for guidance. This is an employer support line that is managed by a registered nurse team of experts in occupational injury and return to work programs. The nurses provide a clinical perspective that is separate from claims entitlement and prevention issues and focuses on early intervention and offers of modified work. Phone: 604.279.8155 (Lower Mainland) Toll-free: 1.877.633.6233 Hours of operation: Monday to Friday (excluding holidays), 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If none of these options are working, try the Employer’s Advisors office to see if they can better support you.

Employers are expected to follow OHSR5.2 and OHSR5.59 in relation to COVID-19 exposure in their workplace.

People who public health has determined are infected with COVID-19 will be monitored by their local public health office, which will conduct contact tracing and provide them with advice as to treatment, self-isolation, and eventual return to work.

Being considered to be infected with COVID-19 is a medical diagnosis, which is personal information. The employer will need to follow directions provided by public health, if a public health officer advises them that a person who is or has been present at the workplace is an infected person and requests that the employer report the contact information, if known, of each person who may have been exposed to the infected person, and consider their privacy law obligations.

We recommend developing policy based on the evolving guidance provided by the relevant authorities. WorkSafeBC will continue to refer to the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Public Health Agency of Canada for guidance.

This is a policy matter; consult with HR and obtain legal advice.

This is a policy matter; consult with HR and obtain legal advice.

All three conditions must be met to be considered "not less accessible." Workplaces that are remote or that cannot readily be reached by an ambulance travelling by land, or where BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) cannot safety access such as back country, down steep embankments, rough terrain, where high risk of avalanche, flood, etc. exist, will fall in this category regardless if the workplace has alternative provisions in place to safety rescue workers from hazardous areas. Workplaces where workers may be working in hazardous areas should be considered less accessible, unless:
  1. The workplace is not remote, nor otherwise less accessible, and
  2. The employer has developed alternative provisions to safely rescue workers in accordance with the requirements of section 4.13 of the Regulation. For the purpose of this section, “safely rescue” will be taken to mean:
  • Moving the injured worker from the hazardous area to an area accessible to BCEHS in a way that will not cause additional injury or further exacerbate pre-existing injuries or illnesses. This will generally include packaging and transporting an injured worker in accordance with the practices taught in the transportation endorsement course, unless impractical to do so (for example, for workers working in a bucket truck that can be lowered to the ground, or workers working in confined spaces who remain on a harness that allows them to be pulled from the hazardous area)
  • Where practicable to do so, and without putting the first aid attendant at unreasonable risk, nor delaying transport to an area accessible to BCEHS, provide immediate and on-going first aid to the injured worker during the rescue. The level of first aid provided during rescue should be sufficient to address injuries likely to arise in the less-accessible area.
Some workplaces may require multiple first aid attendants. The purpose of multiple attendants is to ensure adequate response to major incidents and to ensure adequate first aid coverage. When multiple designated attendants are present, the following should be considered and incorporated in the written procedures:
  • In workplaces where first aid attendants have different levels of certification, procedures should state that the designated attendant with the higher certification should be the lead attendant for serious incidents and serious injuries. For minor injuries, any designated attendant may provide care and complete the required documentation. Lower level attendants should consult with the higher level attendant to ensure that the higher level attendant has no additional treatment options to offer the injured worker prior to discharge.
  • For work locations with multiple attendants with the same level of certification, procedures should include instructions on how to determine which attendant will be the lead attendant for major events, serious incidents, or serious injuries (for example, person who has been attendant for longest, first on scene, etc).
  • Where a workplace has multiple first aid attendants, procedures should identify how attendants are to respond (for example, attendants working and responding on different floors of a building). For major events, serious incidents, and serious injuries, all designated attendants should respond, or the employer should develop alternative procedures to ensure sufficient attendants respond to provide optimal first aid treatment to injured workers.
The maximum potential savings section shows what could be saved with the 50 percent discount on the base rate. To drive down costs, you should prevent injuries and illness and improve loss-time results, which often drive claims costs. This is easier said then done, so you can use the EHSPTK to analyze where some of the greatest challenges are and then build a strategy to drive the costs down. You can contact Megan Martin at [email protected] or use the services of the the Employer’s Advisors office if you would like help with navigating the tool. For advice and support, contact us for confidential help from a Safety Advisor.

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