WSIB Connecting on a More Personal Level

Have you noticed any changes at the WSIB lately? At Clear Path, it has become evident that the WSIB is working hard to move away from a bureaucratic agency toward an increasingly personalized and accessible organization. Initiatives like the WSIB’s Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards, as well as a personal blog by CEO, Tom Teahen, both indicate its efforts to connect on a more meaningful level with employers and employees.

Rather than focusing on claims management, it’s also actively addressing topics like safety and prevention, which typically fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour. By simply visiting the WSIB website, you’ll find articles on workplace violence prevention and how to avoid occupational diseases.

The WSIB also appears to be dipping its feet in innovation initiatives in order to lead the industry with new advancements. Coming from an agency that refused to allow emails to the outside world until just recently, this is an amazing turn around.

Health and Safety Index

Along this theme, the WSIB recently introduced a Health and Safety Index that will come out in the summer of 2018. The index is planned to be published annually and measures the overall health and safety of Ontario’s workplaces.

The index will use five categories of data to determine the final measure, which includes: prevention, worker empowerment, workplace culture, enforcement, and injuries. It is the first tool in North America that has been put together to communicate this information in an easy-to-understand and measurable way. The intention is that a single measure will allow for a better understanding of how Ontario’s workplaces are performing in health and safety, as well as how they can continuously improve.

In addition, the WSIB is launching a corporate innovation lab at the Communitech Hub in Kitchener. This will involve a team of developers working to create practical solutions that will help improve workplace health and safety.

Evidently, the WSIB is moving in the direction of innovation, perhaps redefining the relationship that insurance boards have with those in the workforce. With an obvious effort to provide additional resources to employers and their workers, it is commendable that the WSIB is growing it’s initiatives to achieve this.

If you have any questions about the WSIB or comments about these new projects, we’d love to hear from you! You can tweet us @Clear_Path, or contact Anna Aceto-Guerin at Clear Path directly.  Thanks for reading! 

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