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Ontario’s WSIB is “stepping up with added incentives” for health & safety
June 6, 2022 | By Anthony Capkun
“I hope every entrepreneur out there is listening and checks out how they can benefit from this program.”
WSIB’s Jeffery Lang tours Kitchener-Waterloo construction company, S.G. Cunningham Ltd, winner of WSIB’s Small Business Health & Safety Leadership Award in 2020. FROM LEFT: Beverley Cunningham, vice-president, Health & Safety and Communications, S.G. Cunningham Ltd.; Jeffery Lang, president & CEO, WSIB; Georgia Cunningham, president & CEO, S.G. Cunningham Ltd.; John Deans, vice-president, Construction & Business Development, S.G. Cunningham Ltd. Photo: WSIB. June 6, 2022 – Ontario’s Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) is bolstering the incentives for businesses with fewer than 99 employees to encourage them to invest in health and safety.
“We know Ontario businesses work to have the safest workplaces anywhere, but many smaller businesses are still recovering from the pandemic,” said Jeffery Lang, WSIB president & CEO. “We are stepping up with added incentives to help get more businesses investing in health and safety right now.”
A new pandemic bonus will double the rebates eligible businesses can earn for each topic they complete in WSIB’s Health & Safety Excellence program.
“We are firmly planting our stake in the ground to say we’re serious about helping small business to develop and implement strong health and safety programs in Ontario,” added WSIB’s Rod Cook.
WSIB’s Health and Safety Excellence program connects Ontario businesses with approved providers in their industry or community who help design a plan based on 36 available health & safety topics. For each topic completed and validated, businesses can earn a rebate on their WSIB premiums.
Since 2020, over $21 million in rebates have been issued to Ontario businesses, says WSIB.
The new pandemic bonus for smaller businesses will:
• Double the rebate for topics completed in 2022.
• Retroactively double the rebate for topics completed since March 2020 for eligible businesses who enroll in new topics this year.
• Pay an additional $1000 toward the development of action plans in 2022.
When the Health and Safety Excellence program launched in November 2019, there was a cap on rebates, with small businesses able to earn up to 75% of their premium back, explains WSIB. That cap is now being removed.
“Any small business can now earn their entire premium back simply by prioritizing health and safety,” said Lang. “I hope every entrepreneur out there is listening and checks out how they can benefit from this program.”
Learn more about WSIB’s Health & Safety Excellence program. Watch our interview with Rod Cook, WSIB’s vice-president, Workplace Health & Safety Services.
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