WorkSafeBC
WorkSafeBC Information
If you hire workers in British Columbia (BC) and are eligible for WorkSafeBC coverage, you are required to register for coverage. This coverage protects you from lawsuits related to worker compensation for work-related injuries and illnesses in BC.
Applying for Coverage
To determine if you are eligible for coverage, you must submit an application either online, by mail, or by fax through the WorkSafeBC website.
Required Information
- Legal name and contact information for the person completing the
application. - Legal name and contact information for the IF Agent or Microboard hiring the staff.
- CRA Business Number
- Incorporation Date and Number (Microboards / Person Centred Societies)
- Name and WorkSafeBC account number (if known) of any current or previous WorkSafeBC accounts.
- Start date of your first worker.
- Number of employees being hired.
- Start date of operations (generally, this is your contract start date).
- Details of any business vehicles used for work purposes
- Estimated payroll.
- Address in BC where the work will be performed.
Cost of Coverage
The cost of your coverage is based on your industry’s base premium rate, your assessable payroll, and your net experience rating.
Determining Your Classification Unit
When you register with WorkSafeBC they will want to know what kind of work your staff will be doing. Briefly describe the job using your job description as a guide. The job must be described accurately, or an incorrect assessment rate could be given to you.
If WorkSafeBC conducts an audit and finds the rate is too low, they may force you to backpay the amount owed and/or fine you.
If you change your job description significantly, you should notify WorkSafeBC to ensure that you are being assessed at the correct rate.
If a person you support can be violent, special precautions must be taken.
Based on your information, you will be placed into a Classification Unit for the
type of work you provide. The two most common classification units assigned
to Microboards, Person Centred Societies, and IF Agents are:
Common Classification Unit Placements
- Classification Unit #764029 – Hiring or Providing Companion Services or Domestic Childcare. This also includes non-profit client support groups or societies established by family members, friends, physicians or others to manage and direct the care of a person.
- Classification Unit #766006 – Community Health Support Services.
This classification would provide better coverage for a person who
uses a wheelchair, hospital bed and/or power lift.
Other classification units can be found by searching on the WorksafeBC website.
Making Your WorkSafeBC Payments
If WorkSafeBC wants you to pay only once a year (instead of monthly or quarterly), be sure to set the correct amount aside each month so that it is not a big surprise at the end of the year when a form arrives in the mail. Always pay on time; there is a penalty if you’re late. It can be paid where you bank, or online using Fast File and Pay. If you choose online payment, ask if you will receive a notice for payment.
Making a Claim
If you have a claim, the employer and employee forms can be:
- Picked up at your local WorkSafeBC office.
- Mailed to you from your local office.
- Downloaded from the WorkSafeBC website.
