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WCB and small business achieve new levels of cooperation
Supporting documents
- Backgrounder (PDF 130kb)
- Fact sheet (PDF 176kb)
October 18, 2004, Richmond, B.C. — The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) have joined forces to help small businesses use the compensation system more effectively.
"Efforts of the WCB in meeting with and, most importantly, listening to the CFIB and other small business associations have begun to pay off," said Laura Jones, Vice-President of the CFIB, at a Small Business Week reception co-hosted by the CFIB and the WCB at the Vancouver Museum. "Practical resources and initiatives such as The Primer that will add value to the health and safety programs of small employers have been the result."
The Small Business Primer: a Guide to the WCB, a draft copy of which was distributed at the reception, is a joint project of the CFIB and WCB. It is a comprehensive guide that consolidates WCB information on issues of concern to small businesses, such as registering with the WCB, reducing premiums by preventing injuries and fostering return-to-work for injured workers, dealing with accidents and compensation claims, and accessing WCB resources.
"Small businesses are the largest generators of new employment in B.C., but we've not always had a clear understanding of how to meet their needs," said WCB president and CEO David Anderson. "This Guide is the result of meetings with small businesses, and will give them what they need to know quickly and in plain language so they can be both productive and provide a safe environment for their workers."
"This kind of collaboration helps the WCB to add value to those we serve," added Anderson. "We try to never forget that we are in the customer service business."
Small businesses make up more than 92 percent of the WCB's total number of registered employers. Although the injury rate for small employers has typically been lower than medium and large employers, the average cost per claim for small employers has climbed from $15,488.00 in 2000 to $18,112.00 in 2003. This has resulted in a five-year total of about $1 billion dollars in claim costs. Of greater concern, small business represents 45 percent of serious injury claims, with an average of 52 days lost per claim, and 36 percent of workplace fatalities.
The costs of workplace injuries, including hidden costs such as missed
deadlines, loss of production and competitiveness, negative publicity,
and higher insurance premiums, can devastate a small business.
The Workers' Compensation Board is a provincial statutory agency, borne
out of a compromise forged between workers and employers, where workers
gave up their right to sue their employers or fellow workers for injuries
sustained on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully
paid for by employers and administered by an arms-length agency governed
by a Board of Directors.
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For more information please contact: |
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Gladys Johnsen |
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