There’s a lot that goes into building a positive work-place culture — and employee health and safety is top of that list. Entirely funded by employers, Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) provides no-fault collective liability insurance, health and safety information, loss of earnings benefits for both workers and employers — and much more.
Health and Safety Excellence Consultant Denise Beauchesne has worked with WSIB for 22 years, supporting employers across Eastern Ontario. One way she does this is through WSIB’s new “Health and Safety Excellence” incentives program, connecting businesses with WSIB-approved providers. Often private or provincial health and safety associations, these providers partner with employers to create perfectly-tailored roadmaps to improve their health and safety policies.
Once a company has chosen their provider, they select one to five health and safety topics to focus on, out of 36 possible options. Expertly guided by their provider, companies then have one year to implement the new changes into their workplace. By doing so, employers can earn rebates on premiums paid to WSIB. As well as improving employee morale, companies can also lower injury rates and absenteeism, which may reduce their overall premium rates even further.
Those aren’t the only benefits: once a business joins, they can network with others going through the program, too. “A lot of companies want to work with others who put health and safety first,” Beauchesne says.
WSIB’s clients range from major national construction companies to small local businesses. “We’re trying to help employers eliminate all workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses,” Beauchesne says. “We want to make Ontario the safest workplace for all employees and all companies.”
You can learn more by tuning into WSIB’s upcoming webinar on Tues. Mar. 8 2022 here, or Thurs. Mar. 24 2022 here. You can also reach out to Denise Beauchesne at [email protected] or 613-328-4388.