Workplace Safety and Insurance Act
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act was created to promote health and safety in workplaces, facilitate the return to work and recovery of workers injured during employment, and provide compensation and other benefits to workers when they are injured. The Act creates the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, which promotes health and safety and administers the insurance fund created by the Act, whereby employers either pay premiums that are used to compensate injured workers (some employers are responsible to pay benefits directly to injured workers instead of contributing to fund). Employers will want to pay special attention to Part VII, which lays out employers’ obligations with respect to registration and record-keeping and the calculation and payment of premiums (or benefits), as well as Part XII, which deals with the enforcement of the Act. Employers’ obligations vary depending on whether they are classified as Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 - see Regulation 175/98 for the classification scheme. Note: Housing providers may improve their WSIB rating and thus reduce their rates by providing safety training that meets specific WSIB standards and lowers risk of injury and accidents.
Link: Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (www.e-laws.gov.on.ca)
See Also: Health & Safety