Frequently Asked Questions

The following resource may be helpful: Recovery & work - WorkSafeBC. Ensure 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 and improve their chances of following the program as you have outlined it. Second, positive safety culture at the workplace as supported through a psychologically safe work environment will help. Show care and concern to the worker to let them know they are valued and that you are trying to help aid their recovery and protect their wages by offering them modified work duties. The supervisor is a great tool to help maintain the connection with the worker. Third, a WorkSafeBC Claims nurse line deals with all sorts of questions from employers. They may be able to answer or provide some guidance to you. You can also reach the Claims Nurse Line by phone: 604.279.8155 (Lower Mainland) or toll-free: 1.877.633.6233. Hours of operation: Monday to Friday (excluding holidays), 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 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. The employer’s advisors office may be able to better support a review of your practices and offer workable solutions. And third-party support is available from companies such as MSABC Associate Member TeksMed.
Onboarding is one of the most critical moments in the employee lifecycle, especially for new or young workers. It’s often one of the only times you have that one-on-one space with them outside of review periods, and it sets the tone for how safe and comfortable they are in the workplace and whether they’ll feel able to speak up later. Make a point not to just run through policies; use onboarding to start building a relationship. We talk about safety expectations, yes, but also about the culture we want to create: one where questions are welcomed, mistakes are part of learning, and their voice matters. Introduce them to key people, explain how they can share concerns or ideas, and let them know that checking in regularly is part of how we do things. From there, it’s about follow-through. Continued check-ins, casual conversations on the floor, and consistently reinforcing that it's okay to ask, share, or speak up. With young workers especially, it takes intention and repetition before they really believe that the door is open, but once they do, they bring fresh insight and energy that can make a huge impact. The most important thing is to be consistent and follow through. If you say you will do continual check-ins, schedule them so they occur. If your actions do not match your words, you will not build a relationship based on trust and honesty.
  1. The firm’s average claim cost to payroll ratio is three or more times that of its rate group for three consecutive assessment years;
  2. The firm has an Experience Rating surcharge adjustment of 90 percent or more; and,
  3. The firm has had 50 or more non-health care only claims in the five consecutive years ending with the most recent year in the 3-year window.

They are most infectious in the 2 days prior to symptom onset and in the few days following symptom onset. However people can certainly and do transmit frequently up to 10 days post symptom onset (longer for some individuals with specific health conditions).

You can see when the reports were last published and updated by scrolling down on the main screen. Some reports update at different frequencies and some are dependant on end of year statistics that may lag into July of the year following to allow employers to report and reconcile their accounts with WorkSafeBC. If you have a particular report that you would like more recent data for, you can contact [email protected] to see when it is expected to next be updated.
It may change your first aid procedures. Review all your first aid procedures and make any necessary changes. Conduct a first aid drill to ensure your procedures are effective.
It is unlikely that WorkSafe or a health authority would help with a vaccination policy; it falls outside their mandates. Check with peers in the industry to see what they have done or consult with an experienced employment/labour lawyer or consultant. If one wanted to start building a first draft of a policy for their organization, we recommend the following (broad) steps: Start with the “why” which should be based on health and safety; using a health and safety lens should give clarity to whether a vaccine mandate is even needed in your organization. Once you have determined mandatory vaccination is appropriate, ensure that you have appropriate protections for privacy (don’t collect more than you need) and to accommodate workers with medical or religious grounds for not being vaccinated.

Get information on the acceptable types of disinfectants, and carry out a risk assessment to set cleaning standards for your facility in terms of frequency and areas. For reference, refer to Health Canada

At these clinics, frontline and essential workers will receive one of the vaccines approved for all adults 18 and over: Pfizer or Moderna. We encourage you to accept the vaccine you are offered, as all of vaccines available for use in Canada are safe, effective, and will save lives.
Under B.C.’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan, vaccine is being provided for frontline and essential workers, especially in industries where full use of personal protective equipment and barriers can be challenging, where outbreaks and clusters have occurred or are ongoing, and where workers live or work in congregate settings.
Drills provide workplace parties with a chance to practice their roles and responsibilities, which helps to ensure an effective response in the event of a real emergency. Drills also provide an opportunity to identify and resolve potential challenges or deficiencies in the employer’s written first aid procedures. A first aid drill should include mock scenarios that support the evaluation of the effectiveness of the procedures. First aid drills should include all workplace parties that have duties outlined in the employers first aid procedures. Drills should reasonably approximate the expected response to an incident requiring first aid, up to the point of transport by Emergency Transporation Vehicle (ETV). Drills should be designed in such a way that they do not pose an undue hazard to workers or the public and first aid attendants participating in the drill. Where necessary to ensure worker safety, dummies may be used to simulate injured workers when testing procedures for transporting an injured worker to an ETV or area accessible to BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS). If a drill of a particular first aid procedure poses an undue hazard to workers or others, a table-top exercise may be used to supplement drill activities, if it will allow for an effective evaluation of the employers’ procedures. Note: Reviewing a real incident requiring first aid will not generally be considered an acceptable alternative to a drill as this practice may discourage the identification of deficiencies and/or introduce privacy or other concerns for injured workers, first aid attendants, and employers. First aid drills can be incorporated into emergency drills if this is the procedure you are evaluating. Make sure to document the details for first aid and emergency evacuation so you can provide evidence of both drills to a WorkSafeBC officer. If performing both drills together, ensure you take into consideration the potential for a real first aid emergency and have a plan in place should this occur during the drill.
You should not get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine if you have a serious allergy (anaphylaxis) to:
  • Those who have a serious allergy to polyethylene glycol (PEG)
  • A previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or to any part of the vaccine
Tell your health-care provider if you have had anaphylaxis but no cause was found after seeing an allergy specialist, or if you had anaphylaxis before and did not get seen by an allergy specialist.