WorkSafeBC Insurance Costs

Taking actions to improve health and safety in your workplace will help you retain your workers and drive down costs. Many companies consider their WorkSafeBC insurance premiums as fixed costs. In fact, they’re variable—and to a large extent in your control. That variable factor is called your experience rating.

Tap into the health and safety planning tool to improve health and safety, improve your experience rating, and pay less in insurance premiums.

For more information, watch our webinar on Managing Your WorkSafeBC Insurance Costs.

In our RTW program, we lose weeks of a worker being away as we have difficulty engaging case managers. Is there more we can do to reduce the financial impact?

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.

When is the WorkSafeBC Tableau data updated?

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.

In the WorkSafeBC Health and Safety Planning Tool, under Financial Summary, what does the maximum potential savings specifically mean, and what can employers do to be proactive to achieve the savings?

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.

How long does it take to see improvements to your rate?

Improvements may be observed as soon as the current year hits the 3-year window for rate calculation. For instance, if there are noticeable improvements in claims costs in 2022, the first year 2022 will appear in the 3-year window for rate calculation is in 2024.

What strategies can help work with employees who do not want to return to work in a timely manner?

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.

What three conditions would cause a firm to end up in the Excess Cost Surcharge?

  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.