The following tables show the cumulative number of claims submitted to WorkSafeBC related to a COVID-19 exposure since the beginning of the pandemic. The tables show a point-in–time status of claims as they make their way through the adjudicative process. Please note that WorkSafeBC claims data may differ from COVID-19 data published by the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA). The numbers reported here represent claims submitted by workers for COVID-19 contracted through a work-related exposure, compared with the PHSA's COVID-19 data for the general population.

The data reflects claims registered to January 31, 2023, with claim eligibility decisions as of January 31. These numbers will fluctuate over time, as eligibility decisions and employer information continue to be updated.

This information will be updated monthly.

Monthly COVID-19 claims registered — 12 months rolling

Monthly COVID-19 claims allowed — 12 months rolling

All COVID claims data by industry

As of August 20, 2020, Schedule 1 of the Workers Compensation Act provides a presumption that communicable viral pathogens, such as COVID-19, are caused from work, unless proven otherwise. In order for the presumption to apply, the worker must be at a significantly higher risk of exposure than the public at large and the evidence would still have to show that the worker has contracted COVID-19, based on tests or symptom cluster. The Schedule 1 presumption continues to apply, until the order under section 52(2) of the Public Health Act is removed by the provincial health officer.

Claims are first considered under the Schedule 1 presumption and are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis, considering the specific demands of the worker’s job duties, to determine whether the risk of exposure to a source or sources of COVID-19 infection is significantly greater than that to the public at large. Although the public at large is considered to be at risk of contracting the current COVID-19 variant with the widespread community transmission of the Omicron variant, there remain situations where workers are still at significantly greater risk than the public at large. WorkSafeBC must determine which job demands/duties would generally place the worker at a significantly greater risk of exposure to a source of COVID-19 than the public at large.

COVID-19 claims are allowed when there is sufficient evidence to establish that the worker has COVID-19 and the risk of contracting the disease in the workplace was significantly higher than the risk to the public at large.

To determine whether the worker contracted COVID-19, our policy guides us to adjudicate claims on the best available evidence. While a positive test is beneficial, it is not a requirement. WorkSafeBC will consider the available evidence, including symptoms and exposure history, and weigh that in light of all of the evidence provided by the worker and employer to determine whether the worker, at least as likely as not, has COVID-19.

Claims are disallowed when COVID-19 is confirmed but the presumption doesn’t apply and there is no exposure in the workplace, or there is not sufficient evidence to establish that the worker had COVID-19 or any disease or condition caused by work.

Since the start of the pandemic, the allow rate is approximately 88% of the COVID-19 claims that have proceeded to an allow or disallow decision. Of claims registered in 2022, the allow rate is approximately 94% of the COVID-19 claims that have proceeded to an allow or disallow decision.

Up to the end of February 2022 we were reporting on an allow rate excluding exposure-only claims. In 2020 and 2021, most of the disallowed claims were “exposure only” — that is, the worker was potentially exposed, tested, and/or required to self-isolate, but didn’t actually develop the illness, as confirmed with a negative test result or absence of symptoms.

On decisions to the end of February 2022, when the exposure-only claims are excluded from the disallowed claims, the allow rate is approximately 95%.

Fewer “exposure-only” claims are being reported, likely a result of increased awareness that WorkSafeBC cannot provide coverage where the evidence does not support a conclusion that the worker developed COVID-19.

Not all claims registered receive an allow or disallow decision. Some claims are suspended when insufficient information is available, or a worker decides not to proceed with the requirements of the claims process. Suspended claims may proceed at a future point and be allowed or disallowed.

A smaller number of claims are classified as no adjudication required, or rejected. No adjudication required claims may have been filed in error or there was nothing to consider as the worker did not seek medical attention and did not miss any time from work. Rejected claims are those that do not fall within the scope of the Act: either claims from workers employed in industries not covered under the Act or claims from self-employed workers without optional protection.

Pending claims do not yet have sufficient information to make an eligibility decision. These claims could be waiting for test results or other evidence required to make a decision.

Unknown employer or sector means that the employer has not yet been identified or the employer and/or the specific claim have not yet been assigned to an industry classification unit and sector.

Occupation coding may be updated when additional information is available on the claim file. Not all disallowed claims have sufficient information on the claim to code the occupation of the worker; particularly when there is a negative test result and occupational information is not required to make the eligibility decision.

Timeliness to eligibility decision on COVID-19 claims

For the COVID-19 illness claims that have been allowed to date, the average number of days from the date of claim registration to the date of the allow decision was 24 days.

For the COVID-19 illness claims that have been disallowed to date, the average number of days from the date of claim registration to the date of the disallow decision was 29 days.

On average, the number of days to a disallow decision is longer than for allow decisions. The reason for the additional time is that Board officers will generally wait at least 14 days from the last potential exposure before disallowing a claim, in the event symptoms present themselves later in the incubation period.

Classification units with 5 or more claims registered for COVID-19

Subsectors are further broken down into classification units. The data table above is presented at the industry sector or subsector level and the table below provides additional information for COVID-19 claims registered by classification unit.

Breakdown of allow and disallow decisions for occupations with both 5 or more allowed claims and 5 or more disallowed claims

Claims are allowed when the evidence is sufficient to establish the worker has COVID-19 and the risk in the workplace was significantly higher than the ordinary exposure risk. Claims are typically disallowed because the evidence is insufficient to establish that the worker has COVID-19 disease (based on tests or symptom cluster), and/or the worker went off work strictly as preventative measure.

In order to protect privacy, only occupations with both 5 or more allowed claims and 5 or more disallowed claims are listed.

Note that occupation information is lagged, due to the recent increase in COVID-19 claims and operational capacity. Allow and disallow decisions made in December 2022 and January 2023 have not yet been coded with an occupation.