Frequently Asked Questions

We encourage everyone who can do so to get the vaccine, as it will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and save lives by preventing disease, especially for people most likely to have severe illness or die. If enough people get vaccinated, it makes it difficult for the disease to spread. We hope that as more Canadians get vaccinated, we can return to activities that haven’t been possible during the pandemic. Getting the vaccine is not mandatory, and whether you choose to get the vaccine will not affect your access to health care services, nor employment or housing status. It may, however, limit your ability to attend events—and we are beginning to see more workplaces mandating vaccination for employees. Until the pandemic ends, restrictions are likely to continue as government and businesses prioritize health.

A high-risk close contact can be defined as a person who: 

  • Provided direct care for the case, including healthcare workers, family members or other caregivers, or who had other similar close physical contact (e.g., intimate partner) without consistent and appropriate use of personal protective equipment, OR
  • Lived with or otherwise had close face to face contact (within 2 metres) with a probable or confirmed case for more than 15 minutes (may be cumulative, i.e., multiple interactions) up to 48 hours prior to symptom onset, OR
  • Had direct contact with infectious body fluids of a probable or confirmed case (e.g., was coughed or sneezed on) while not wearing recommended PPE, OR
  • Has been identified by the local MHO as a possible contact. 

Source

External auditors are independent people who are qualified to conduct all types of OHS audits—including certification, annual maintenance, and recertification audits. Internal auditors are employees of an OSSE certified company who are only qualified to conduct an annual maintenance audit. In companies with fewer than 20 employees, internal auditors are qualified to conduct all types of audits, including certification, annual maintenance and recertification. To learn more about training for auditors, visit the OSSE section of the Alliance website.
KN95 is considered to be the equivalent to the US NIOSH N95, in terms of filter performance as outlined in the 3M document and other N95 alternatives for counties. KN95 are also recognized by WorkSafeBC in being the equivalent to N95. The KN95 just follows a different certification process, i.e. GB2626-2006, vs the N95 (NIOSH - 42C FR84).
Within Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health, right now we're moving on to vaccinating teachers, people working in daycares and first responders. If you are working in such an organization and have not heard yet, then expect to be contacted soon. There is a detailed process to reach licensed child cares, schools and we have been in touch with our partners; police, fire, emergency and medical services. This varies across the region as our colleagues in Island Health haven't had workplace transmissions that we're dealing with in VCH/FH, they are focusing on age as the biggest risk factor. Each region is a bit different. Each region has different risks and different approaches to get vaccines out. IF you are in VCH/FH - those sectors are getting a lot of attention right now with quite a bit number of people getting vaccinated each day.
Most people experience mild side effects, such as a sore arm, that would not typically interrupt work. We have vaccinated all the staff at a variety of workplaces and have not seen a situation where a large percentage needed time off to recover from vaccination.
While most restaurant owners have done an exceptional job of implementing controls and adhering to their COVID-19 Safety Plans, the risk remains significant and the potential for spread high. Dr. Schwandt's comparison by industry clearly illustrated (slide 17 in his presentation) that restaurants and bars have experienced far and away more COVID-positive workplace clusters than any other industry. By temporarily closing indoor dining, Public Health is trying to eliminate this vector for wide spread of the virus.
There are no first aid drill templates available on the WorkSafeBC website. A first aid drill template should be like an emergency evacuation drill template, at a minimum, logging the date/time of the drill, the drill scenario, who was involved, was the drill successful or were deficiencies identified, are there action items and/or corrections required, and who is assigned the corrective items and by what date. WorkSafeBC will consider creating a generic first aid drill template as a future reference resource. MSABC has a table top exercise that may be used, however, tabletop exercises alone or reviewing an incident alone is not sufficient, an actual response drill must be done. MSABC encourages businesses to include these in their fire drill, evacuation, confined space mock rescues. Table top exercise documents can be used as guidance on what to do, record, and discuss. MSABC also has a generic fire drill template document that can be adjusted sufficiently to record first aid drills. If you are looking for support in running drill scenarios, please reach out to an MSABC Safety Advisor at [email protected].

Particularly in environments where employers may not have a robust PPE program already in place, this is a common concern. When you provide first aid services to an injured worker, physical distancing is not typically possible. So it becomes a question of how you protect both workers from each other, should one of them actually have COVID-19. A facial covering such as a surgical mask is a helpful precaution but not always possible in an emergency situation. Based on consultation with the Public Health Office, temporary or transient close contact with another employee within the 2-metre range does elevate the risk slightly but does not typically turn that into a high-risk situation. Provided you have effective controls in place overall in the workplace, transient close contact in an emergency scenario is not considered high risk.
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.