Reporting workplace injuries (WSIA)

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board: Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA)

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) administers the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA).^{footnote 3[3]}

The WSIB plays an important role in the province's occupational health and safety system. It is funded by employers, including school boards. The WSIB provides insurance for workplace injuries and illnesses that are covered under the WSIA and supports early and safe return to work for injured workers.

If a workplace violence incident results in an injury to a worker, the injury should be reported to the supervisor or employer as soon as possible. First aid and/or medical attention should be administered promptly if necessary. Under some circumstances (see below), the injury must also be reported to the WSIB, as required under the WSIA.

School board procedures for reporting workplace injuries help to ensure that injured workers get the help they need; that steps can be taken for future prevention of injury and control of risk; and that requirements for reporting to the WSIB, if applicable, are met.

Refer to the school board's procedures for injury reporting, including the school board's WSIB reporting system (see below).

The process for reporting work-related injuries to the WSIB (Road Map)

Workplace violence resulting in injury to a worker

When a workplace injury occurs, it is important for the worker to report the injury to their supervisor as soon as possible. First aid and medical attention may be required. If more serious treatment is required, the employer has a responsibility to transport the injured worker to the appropriate medical facility at the time of the injury (s. 38). It may be necessary to engage emergency procedures and call 911 for an ambulance.

Sometimes workplace injuries may become apparent, or more severe, hours or days after they occur. Such injuries are referred to as “delayed-onset” injuries. These should also be reported to the supervisor as soon as possible. When previously reported injuries worsen, or health care is sought after a report is made, existing reports should be updated or revised.

Note that a worker who is the victim of workplace violence, whether or not they sustain a physical injury, may also suffer mental stress. This mental stress can be reported as an injury resulting from workplace violence. A medical professional can determine if this mental stress qualifies as traumatic mental stress. Under the WSIA, a worker is entitled to benefits for traumatic mental stress arising out of and in the course of the worker's employment (s. 13(4); WSIB Policy 15-03-02: Traumatic Mental Stress).

A workplace injury resulting from a violent incident should be recorded on the school board's workplace violence report (see The employer's program sets out how the worker reports workplace violence to the employer or supervisor) and reported on the school board's incident/injury report (see next section). The principal may also need to complete the school board's supervisor's incident investigation report. If the injured worker seeks medical attention, the school board may provide the worker with a package of information (known as the “WSIB Employee Injury Reporting Kit”) to take with them to the medical provider.

WSIB reporting

As the employer, the school board must report a work-related injury to the WSIB if the injury causes the worker to:

• obtain health care
• be absent from their regular work beyond the date of the accident
• require modified duties at less than regular pay
• earn less than regular pay at their regular work
• require modified work at regular pay for more than seven calendar days

The employer has a duty to report this work-related injury to the WSIB within three days of learning about the injury. A copy of the employer's report must be provided to the injured worker.

The WSIB provides injury reporting forms (see Resources) for the worker, the employer and the health professional, as follows:

• Worker's Report of Injury/Disease (Form 6)
• Employer's Report of Injury/Disease (Form 7)
• Health Professional's Report (Form 8)

The WSIB also provides reference guides, online tools and telephone support to assist with the completion of these reports.

The WSIB recommends that when in doubt about whether an injury or illness is work-related, it should still be reported to the WSIB. The decision about whether an injury is work-related can only be made by the WSIB.

The WSIB policy document “Employer's Initial Accident-Reporting Obligations, 15-01-02” and the WSIB resource guide “Injury or illness reporting at WSIB” set out the criteria and the process for employers and workers for reporting an injury to the WSIB (see Resources).

First Aid Regulation

When a workplace injury occurs and only first-aid treatment is needed and there is no lost time, there is no requirement to contact the WSIB. However, Regulation 1101: First Aid Requirements under the WSIA requires the employer to keep a detailed record of all first-aid treatments provided to injured workers (Reg. 1101 s. 5). Each school board has procedures for reporting and record keeping of first-aid treatments.

School Board WSIB Reporting System

Each school board's WSIB reporting system is structured to meet the legal requirements of the WSIA and the policy requirements of the WSIB. This reporting system helps to ensure that the necessary WSIB reporting requirements are followed in a timely and complete manner. The system also helps to ensure that workers are supported in reporting injuries or illnesses to the WSIB (see “Injury or illness reporting at WSIB”).