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Issue Resolution Office

If you’re not satisfied with the service you’ve received, the Issue Resolution Office provides impartial assistance to any person or organization who has an issue or complaint about a specific interaction with WorkSafeBC. Our mandate is to investigate complaints of alleged unfairness surrounding practice and service to ensure that WorkSafeBC’s laws, policies, practices, and procedures are applied fairly.

The Issue Resolution Office helps anyone who deals directly with WorkSafeBC, including:

  • Workers
  • Employers
  • Unions
  • Service providers
  • Authorized representatives
  • Any other person affected by the actions of WorkSafeBC, its employees, or its contractors

We are not able to accept referrals through WorkSafeBC staff.

We investigate complaints of alleged procedural unfairness related to all areas of WorkSafeBC. We investigate the following matters:

  • Service issues, such as receiving a return call and expected timelines
  • Communication and conduct, such as ineffective communication with WorkSafeBC staff
  • Procedure and practice matters, such as processes followed in your dealings with WorkSafeBC

While we are here to help resolve many types of issues, some situations fall outside the scope of our office. We cannot do the following:

  • Advocate on your behalf (you may contact the Workers’ or Employers’ Advisers of BC for advice or assistance)
  • Make or change decisions or orders made by WorkSafeBC, the Review Division, or the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal
  • Direct the operations of the departments or divisions within WorkSafeBC (including issues related to merits of a decision or staff re-assignment)

If you have a complaint about the Workers Compensation Act, your local MLA's office can assist. If you have questions about WorkSafeBC’s services, please use the WorkSafeBC general email.

Employees of the Issue Resolution Office report to the Chief Review Officer of WorkSafeBC’s Review and Issue Resolution Division. However, the Issue Resolution Office’s work is carried out independently; WorkSafeBC management has no direct involvement into how our office addresses complaints or the outcome of our investigations.

While our staff are WorkSafeBC employees, they are designated as impartial parties in resolving complaints. We do not side with WorkSafeBC, its employees, the person making a complaint, or any other party.

All employees of the Issue Resolution Office adhere to the confidentiality provisions outlined in section 235 of the Workers Compensation Act, and the requirements of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The Issue Resolution Office documents all complaints on a separate complaint tracking software system. Information regarding complaint cases does not appear on any other WorkSafeBC’s system such as claims files.

When you contact the Issue Resolution Office, you can request that your complaint remain confidential. In this case, we will not release any information that can identify you to other individuals at WorkSafeBC. However, when you request confidentiality, we may be unable to communicate key information about your complaint to the appropriate area of WorkSafeBC. As a result, our ability to resolve your complaint may be limited.

Simple issues brought to our office may be addressed within a few days. Complex situations that require more investigation may take several weeks to be resolved. When you submit a complaint to our office, you will generally receive a response via phone call within one business day.

Many complaints can be quickly addressed at the intake or early resolution stage. Depending on the nature of your complaint, it may be assigned to an issue resolution officer. The officer will contact you by phone to gather additional information and explain what will happen next. They will also answer any questions you have about the process. Response timelines will be provided to you throughout the process.

Please be advised that our office does not regularly communicate by email.

Before making a submission to the Issue Resolution Office, please make sure it meets the following criteria to avoid delays.

  • Your complaint is related to a specific interaction you’ve had with WorkSafeBC.
  • It has occurred within the last 12 months.
  • You have already raised the complaint or issue with the manager of the division where you had the interaction.

If your issue or complaint does not meet the above criteria, use the following resources provided below for assistance.

For labour relations issues with your employer, use the following resources (external to WorkSafeBC).

If you feel the Issue Resolution Office has not resolved your complaint, you may be able to submit a complaint to the WorkSafeBC Fair Practices Commissioner or the BC Office of the Ombudsperson.