A new regulation for the construction industry in Canada’s biggest employment market took effect on September 1, 2008. The regulation relates to return to work and re-employment, promising fairness and clarity for both construction employers and injured workers.
Benefits of the new regulation are said to include:
• return to work co-operation rules for construction employers and workers that didn’t exist prior to September 1, 2008
• re-employment obligations for construction employers that are more clearly articulated
• improved return to work outcomes for the construction industry
• a reasonable balance between the interests of employers, workers and the system.
Three Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) operational policies and one overview document also took effect on September 1st. The WSIB operational policy documents are:
• 19-05-01 Overview – Re-employment in the Construction Industry
• 19-05-02 Re-employment Obligation in the Construction Industry – Threshold, Duration and Specific Employer Requirements
• 19-05-03 Compliance with the Re-employment Obligation – Construction Industry
• 19-05-04 Re-employment Penalties and Payments – Construction Industry.
Operational policies to support the return to work provisions of the regulation will take effect at a later date.
The WSIB is an agency of the Ontario provincial government dedicated to the prevention of all workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities. It oversees Ontario's workplace safety education and training system and administers Ontario's no-fault workplace insurance for employers and their workers. The WSIB is funded entirely by employer premiums and is one of the largest disability insurers in North America, covering about 229,000 employers and their 4 million workers. No funding from the Ontario government is received by the WSIB.
www.wsib.on.ca
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