Appendix B – Glossary of terms
- Allowed claims
- Claims that have been accepted by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Allowed claims are different than registered claims.
- Allowed lost-time injury claim - A lost-time injury claim is created when a worker suffers a work-related injury/disease which results in one of the following: being off work past the day of accident, loss of wages/earnings or a permanent disability/impairment.
- Lost-time injury rate – The number of allowed lost-time injury and illness claims per 100 full-time equivalent workers for the injury year specified.
- Allowed no lost-time injury claim – A no lost-time injury claim results from a work-related injury where no time is lost from work other than on the day of accident, but where health care is required. The health care costs resulting from the injury are paid by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
- No lost-time injury rate – The number of allowed no lost-time injury and illness claims per 100 full-time equivalent workers for the injury year specified.
- Average annual rate of change
- The average of the annual percentage change each year over the period specified.
- Allowed occupational disease fatalities by entitlement year
- Allowed claims from workers who died of a work-related disease or condition for which entitlement to survivor benefits has been granted in the year specified. Excludes claims from workers who passed away while in receipt of 100% permanent disability benefits granted under a pre-1990 legislative framework.
- Allowed traumatic fatalities by year of death
- Allowed claims from workers who died of a work-related traumatic incident in the year specified. Excludes claims from workers who passed away while in receipt of 100% permanent disability (PD) benefits granted under a pre-1990 legislative framework.
- Complaint
- A complaint is any expression of discontent or concern registered with the Ministry of Labour regarding health and safety issues. Complaints include only those that have been reported to the ministry.
- Critical injury as reported to the Ministry of Labour
- Critical injuries include only those that have been reported to the ministry and not necessarily critical injuries as defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The Ministry of Labour investigates workers covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Critical injuries in the ministry’s data systems may include non-workers, as this is required to be reported. This represents data that was reported to the ministry and may not represent what actually occurred at the workplace.
- Critical injury rate
- The number of critical injuries reported to the Ministry of Labour per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers for the injury year specified.
- Employment under provincial jurisdiction
- Ontario employment in activities covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Estimates by the Ministry of Labour based on Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey. These estimates are not on a full-time equivalent basis.
- Event
- A work refusal, complaint, incident, illness, occurrence, dispute or work stoppage reported to the Ministry of Labour regarding health and safety issues. Events include only those that have been reported to the ministry and may not reflect what actually occurred in the workplace.
- Fatality rate
- The number of allowed fatality claims for traumatic and occupational diseases per one million full-time equivalent workers (based on employment under provincial jurisdiction reported to Statistics Canada). This rate is calculated by the Ministry of Labour.
- Field visits
- A field visit occurs when a ministry inspector visits a workplace and meets with the workplace parties in order to enforce the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Field visits may be for the purpose of an inspection, investigation or a consultation.
- Field visit inspection
- The Ministry of Labour proactively inspects workplaces to monitor compliance with occupational health and safety legislation, and to promote the Internal Responsibility System. These are usually unannounced proactive visits. The ministry targets workplaces and/or sectors of the economy that have a history of poor compliance or high levels of work-related injuries.
- Field visit consultation
- These field visits are made to advise workplace parties of their rights, duties and responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and of ministry policies and procedures.
- Field visit investigation
- These are reactive field visits for the purpose of investigating a fatality, critical injury, work refusal, complaint, occupational disease or other health and safety-related events in the workplace that have been reported to the Ministry of Labour.
- Health and safety association self-generated revenue
- Revenue generated by the health and safety associations through the sale of occupational health and safety products and services, bank interest income and investments of future benefits funds. These revenues are reinvested into the health and safety system.
- Ministry of Labour fatalities
- Although both the Ministry of Labour and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board track workplace fatalities in Ontario, each organization has a unique mandate and legislative obligations. Worker fatalities captured by the ministry are those covered under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and then reported to and investigated by the ministry.
These fatalities exclude:
- death from natural causes
- death of a non-worker at a workplace
- suicides
- death under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Code, Highway Traffic Act and Canada Labour Code and
- death from occupational exposures that occurred many years ago.
Fatality figures captured by the ministry represent reported data and may not signify what actually occurred at the workplace.
- Nonstandard work
- Nonstandard work is temporary employment, part time work that is involuntary, or self-employment without paid help. Multiple job holders where their main job pays less than the economy-wide median wage are also included in this category.
- Occupational disease
- An occupational disease is a health problem caused by exposure to a workplace health hazard.
- Occupational health and safety prevention and innovation program
- Funding for activities that address the province’s key occupational health and safety priorities. These grants allow the ministry to fund smaller unique programs and initiatives not supported through other sources, thereby facilitating the delivery of targeted prevention programs in priority areas.
- Provincial enforcement initiatives
- Provincial initiatives identify workplaces for inspection based on hazards inherent to the operation of the business. However, enforcement initiatives may also focus on a particular sector or a type of workplace, for example, new or small businesses. Provincial initiatives may run for an entire year or more to allow for extended outreach to these workplaces.
- Provincial inspection blitzes
- Provincial blitzes identify workplaces for inspection based on hazards inherent to the operation of the business. Blitzes are limited in duration (one to four months) and raise awareness of these hazards so that the workplace parties can ensure that they are complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations.
- Regional enforcement initiatives
- Each regional ministry office may conduct its own local initiative(s) to raise awareness of and help address health and safety issues that are specific to particular geographic areas of Ontario and/or have a higher rate of occurrence than in the rest of the province.
- Registered claims
- Registered claims for injuries, illnesses or fatalities reported to the WSIB in the year (as some claims are registered with the WSIB after the year in which the injury, illness or fatality occurred) and includes all allowed, denied, abandoned and pending claims.
- Research Opportunities Program
- The Research Opportunities Program (ROP) provides strategic research investments through public calls for occupational health and safety research projects that focus on identified occupational health and safety system priorities.
- Safety Groups Program
- The Safety Groups Program recognizes employers that make it a priority to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses. Employers who volunteer to join a safety group learn from each other’s experience in implementing injury and illness prevention programs and benefit from the expertise and guidance of approved industry sponsors. Workplaces participating in this incentive program may receive rebates of up to six percent of their Workplace Safety and Insurance Board premium: four percent for meeting program requirements by successfully implementing five health and safety initiatives; one percent for reducing their injury severity rate by more than seven percent from the previous year; and one percent for reducing their injury frequency rate by more than seven percent from the previous year.
- Schedule 1
- Schedule 1 employers are employers for whom the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board pays benefit compensation for workers’ claims. Schedule 1 employers are required by legislation to pay premiums to the board and are protected by a system of collective liability. Since the board pays benefits to injured workers out of money pooled in the insurance fund, Schedule 1 employers are relieved of individual responsibility for actual accident costs.
- Schedule 2
- Schedule 2 employers are employers that self-insure the provision of benefits under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board administers the payment of the benefits for workers of Schedule 2 employers and recovers the cost of these benefits plus administration fees from the employers.
- Small Business Health and Safety Programs (formerly Safe Communities Incentive Program)
- The Small Business Health and Safety Programs include Building Health and Safety Awareness (for new employers) and Building Your Health and Safety Program (for more health and safety sophisticated small businesses). The Building Health and Safety Awareness Program provides basic health and safety education for new small businesses to create awareness of risks in the workplace and an understanding of a small business’s legal requirements under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 and Occupational Health and Safety Act. Firms that meet the program requirements – participation in two half-day, in-class training sessions and the creation of a health and safety action plan – are eligible to receive a five percent rebate on their Workplace Safety and Insurance Board premiums. The Building Your Health and Safety Program further enhances health and safety awareness and helps small businesses develop an effective and successful health and safety program. Firms can receive an additional five percent rebate after they participate in three in-class sessions and submit both a health and safety policy and a self-evaluation checklist.
- Workplace Safety and Insurance Board fatality
- Although both the Ministry of Labour and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board track workplace fatalities in Ontario, each organization has a unique mandate and legislative obligations. Worker fatalities captured by the Board represent fatalities experienced by employers with coverage under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 and that are allowed by the Board.
- WorkWell
- The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s WorkWell Program performs on-site health and safety performance reviews of firms when their injury experience indicates that there is a higher risk of injury at their workplace compared to other firms doing similar work. These reviews and health and safety gap analyses help workplaces identify weaknesses in their health and safety management systems and develop a more effective health and safety program including return to work.
- Year of incident
- The year in which the injury or illness occurred.
- Year of death
- The year in which a death related to a workplace incident occurred.
- Year of entitlement
- The year in which a decision was made on a claim.
Updated: October 11, 2023
Published: October 11, 2023