Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB)
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) is an Ontario legislation that guides the claims to services and welfares for employees who get ill or become injured during work. The mission of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is to administer safe practices in Canada that will minimize all workplace accidents and injuries. WSIB is a non-tax system that is funded by Ontario workers. Injured employees can claim salary loss benefits, permanent injury compensation, healthcare coverage, and work return assistance. The board has outlined guidelines and policies for choosing who is entitled to the services, but members also have a right to appeal to WSIB decisions within stipulated timelines (Ontario-Laws, 2020).
Employees must submit an entitlement claim to WSIB within six months after falling ill or getting injured. Employers must also deliver a claim in no less than three days if a worker; needs healthcare, goes absent from work, gets underpaid, needs customized work at lower pay, or required customized roles at regular pay for more than a week. Workers can claim compensation when they get diagnosed with work-related illnesses, work-related stresses, and gradual injuries that develop at work. For help and clarification, one can visit the office of the employee adviser, Industrial injury victim office in Ontario, the Legal Aid group, and the Accident workers consultant group (Ontario-Laws, 2020).
Pete’s Story
Pete’s story is a vivid example of how WSIB has stepped in to help injured employees return to work. Pete works as a police officer, and his life changed the moment he had an accident and lost his right leg. But this predicament did not kill his determination; his goal was to find a way to walk and go back to work. WSIB supported him all in all the steps to his recovery and acquisition of a prosthetic leg. The board took care of the rehabilitation process and offered training that helped Pete get back to work as a police officer (WSIB, 2020).
Mary’s story
Mary is another example of how WSIB has helped injured workers to get back to work. Mary used to work as a bus driver until she injured her ankle on a slippery floor. She reached out to WSIB, who responded immediately and took her through a rehabilitation program. She was assigned a recovery specialist who mentored her throughout the journey, helped her upgrade her computer skills, and took her to a driver rehabilitation program. Mary had her car modified and got a special chair to ease her work. As a result, she got retained in her job and worked in a new role as a clerk (WSIB, 2020).
References
Ontario-Laws. (2020, July 1). Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. Retrieved from Ontario laws: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/97w16
WSIB. (2020, August 4). Stories. Retrieved from WSIB ONTARIO: https://www.wsib.ca/en/about-us/stories