WSIB@WORK - Winter 2016

WSIB hosts Technical Rate sessions

Over the course of the fall, the WSIB hosted nine technical rate sessions to help educate employers about the 2017 premium rates.

In 2017, there will be a 6.2 per cent reduction on the average premium rate for Schedule 1. This is the first reduction in over 15 years.

At the Technical Rate Sessions, Don Blue, Chief Actuary explained premium rate components at the Class and Rate Group levels to help employers gain insight into how rates are set.

He also discussed the types of high-impact claims driving costs at the rate group level so that employers could better understand where to focus their health and safety efforts.

"These sessions are an important way for the WSIB to engage with stakeholders and answer questions about premium rates," said Don Blue, Chief Actuary at the WSIB. "They also provide an opportunity to transparently share the process for setting rates."

The Technical Rate Sessions concluded on November 28, 2016.

Raising awareness of noise-induced hearing loss

It's one of the most common work-related injuries - and it's one of the easiest to prevent as well, which is why the WSIB is making efforts to grow awareness of the dangers of noise-induced hearing loss.

In the New Year, the WSIB will launch an online campaign that will encourage people to protect the sounds they love by protecting their hearing at work. So be sure to check wsib.on.ca for more info in mid-January!

WSIB Chair touring a safer Ontario

This fall, Elizabeth Witmer celebrated our province's rapidly improving workplace health and safety record as she visited WSIB and Ministry of Labour-sponsored Safety Groups in Mississauga, Kitchener, Stratford, Cambridge, Oakville, Newmarket, Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Kitchener and Toronto.

Started in 2002, the Safety Groups Program requires participants to meet regularly to develop ways to improve their workplace health and safety performance across several major sectors of Ontario's economy. Groups are eligible to receive maximum rebates of five per cent of their reported WSIB premiums for implementing health and safety practices, and for reductions in injury frequency and severity.

And, as evidence of safer Ontario workplaces, our province now has the lowest lost-time injury rate in all of Canada.

Now Available: Applications for 2017 WSIB Safety Groups Programs

If you're an employer who wants to increase your productivity, gain access to health and safety resources, and even benefit from financial incentives, then consider joining a WSIB safety group. These are just some of the benefits of joining the program, which brings employers together to network and share best practices. It also recognizes employers who make it a priority to eliminate workplace injuries by making their workplaces safer. For more information about the program, click here.

WSIB Open Data Consultation on until December 30

On October 20, 2016, we launched our public consultation under the WSIB Open Data Initiative. As we are coming to the end of our consultation, we want YOU to tell us which of the datasets in our Dataset Inventory we should publish first! The deadline for submitting your opinion is December 30, 2016. You can let us know either by using our online voting tool , or by written submission . The results of the consultation will be summarized in a report to be made available on our website this coming February, and we will begin publishing data later in 2017.

To learn more, visit our Open Data Consultation Details page, or watch this short video .

Video Contest Awards Prizes to "Healthy and Safe" Students

For the third year the WSIB has partnered with the Ontario Ministry of Labour to support the "It's Your Job" student video contest.

Students currently attending an Ontario secondary school are encouraged to use their creativity to develop an original video to illustrate the importance of working safely on the job. This year's theme is Start the Conversation!

Encourage the young workers in your life to submit their videos ! Deadline is March 3, 2017.

1st Place: $2000 for the entrant(s), $2000 for their school
2nd Place: $1500 for the entrant(s), $1500 for their school
3rd Place: $1000 for the entrant(s), $1000 for their school

WSIB United Way

For 2016, the WSIB was thrilled to see our United Way Campaign donation target increased to $270,000. This allowed for a number of new fundraising events to be added to our United Way roster this year, promising even more opportunities to donate to this worthy cause. The WSIB has a long history of compassionate giving to the United Way and we're confident of meeting our 2016 fundraising goal.

The WSIB's 2017 Grants Program Application Process Launch just around the corner

The WSIB will launch the 2017 Grants Program application process in the new year. Through the Grants Program, the WSIB invites proposals for highly practical expert research studies and training initiatives to achieve better return-to-work and recovery outcomes for injured and ill workers, and to deliver innovations in service within Ontario's workplace compensation system.

Details will be available on the WSIB website . Stay tuned!

Arden's Story

Talking to and listening to workers is vital for us at the WSIB. We appreciate every chance to sit down and hear someone's story. To hear Arden's courageous story, click here .

"Working Together" - an excerpt from CEO Tom Teahen's Blog:

"Honoring Retirees"

"Earlier this week it was my great privilege to honour 192 WSIB employees who retired this past year. The dedication and contribution of this very special group of employees is, in my view, unsurpassed.

This kind of commitment and loyalty to one employer is becoming a thing of the past. Younger generations, specifically Millennials, are far less likely to stay with one employer than Baby Boomers or Gen-Xers. Forbes says the average tenure of a Millennial worker is just two years.

The WSIB's challenge, faced by many organizations, is how to attract and retain the next generation, as we work to improve our service to Ontario's workers and employers. It's a challenge we are actively addressing with changes to our recruitment strategies and a renewed commitment to our people."

Check out the full post here .

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

To injured workers, we're the agency that provides wage-loss benefits, health care coverage, and return to work and transition programs. To employers, we're the agency that provides no-fault collective liability insurance and access to industry-specific health and safety information. But to our employees, we're simply the agency that believes in getting injured workers across Ontario back to what matters.