A fresh approach: New WSIB health and safety program offers contractors support, savings on premiums

The program rewards contractors for their attention to health and safety with savings on WSIB premiums

Rebates, public recognition and increased support are all benefits of a new program from Ontario’s Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) geared toward improving health and safety in the workplace.

The WSIB’s Health and Safety Excellence program (HSEp) has been created to recognize the hard work and investments you, and contractors like you, continue to put into occupational health and safety.

The HSEp has been developed from the lessons learned and successes of WSIB’s three previous programs; Small Business, Safety Groups and Work Well. Whether you are new to health and safety, just starting to formalize things, or heading towards an industry standard, it’s a flexible solution to developing a health and safety management system. The program lets you select the topics that will add the most value to your business and align with your business’s goals. The program has three levels — foundations, intermediate and advanced. There are 36 topics spread across the three levels. You can tackle up to five topics per year, but smaller organizations are encouraged to work within their abilities.

Businesses can join the program at any time throughout the year, but some providers may offer services that run on an annual basis with a specific entry period. Upon enrolment, a company — referred to as a “member” — will go through an assessment with their WSIB-approved provider and identify the best course of action. From there, members take part in regular meetings, work with their provider to develop their system and organize evidence for submission. The additional services included as part of the program vary from one provider to another. Regardless of the provider you select, they will review your evidence prior to its annual submission.

From there, your submission is sent to the WSIB for validation. This process is designed to be flexible, with the WSIB not looking for mountains of paperwork, but rather asking for you to submit evidence that can demonstrate the topic is “living and breathing” in your business. Once successfully validated, you’re recognized as a healthy and safe employer and you will receive a rebate of 1.4 or 2.0 per cent per topic. The minimum rebate is $1,000 per topic, up to maximum total rebate of 75 per cent of a business’s WSIB annual premiums. The maximum is $50,000 per topic.

These savings are coupled with the anticipated positive impact on the workplace leading to a potential reduction in occupational injuries.

Business owners and leaders will be able to see a direct return on their investment into health and safety, as well as gain access to ongoing support, education, training, networking and other opportunities to foster best practices.

Unlike other standards, the HSEp is flexible and tailored to support businesses during this time of change. It has the flexibility to work with its members. If this is your first major investment into health and safety, the program will take you every step of the way. If you have a very well managed health and safety management system, HSEp can help you fill in the gaps, or contribute to a model of constant improvement. The real flexibility within the program is its evidence gathering methods and materials accepted. The validators at the WSIB learn about the businesses they’ll be reviewing to better understand their challenges and limitations. Instead of the reams of paper required by more formal prescriptive systems, it allows you to provide innovative solutions like videos, images and interviews. The program encourages you to build a management system that fits your business and contributes to its success.

To sign up, you need to pick a provider that makes sense to you based on costs, offerings, location, etc. All providers charge a fee per topic, but the costs and services included vary from one provider to another, so do your homework. Regardless of which provider you select, you will have their support as well as the support of your peers. Each provider will conduct meetings regularly to provide an opportunity to learn, network and discuss your challenges and concerns with others who may be contemplating similar matters. In this sense, the HSEp provides you with a platform to work with those who you may otherwise compete, to protect workers at both businesses.

While there is an upfront cost, larger businesses may see rebates in excess of tens of thousands of dollars — far more than any of the providers charge. For smaller businesses that have been unable to invest in a health and safety management system in the past, the program offers the support, resources and plan required to be successful. Though smaller businesses may not receive the same substantial rebates as their larger counterparts, they will significantly improve their health and safety management system, the costs of which may be offset by the rebates they receive.

For employers of all sizes, the Health and Safety Excellence program offers a fresh approach, ensuring companies get the support they need as well as the recognition they deserve.

Alex Ewing has developed and led various health and safety management programs for over a decade. He is a senior partner at Aceis Group Ltd., an approved provider of the WSIB’s Health & Safety Excellence program, and a college professor at George Brown College.