As the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) marks 100 years of service, it is adapting to meet the changing needs of today’s Ontario.
Dramatic changes have swept the world of work in the century since the WSIB’s founding in 1914. They include industrialization, immigration, unionization, globalization, two world wars and revolutions in technology.
In short, the WSIB is starting its second century of service, in a world of work that Ontarians of 1914 would not recognize.
The WSIB is rooted in principles founded more than 100 years ago by Sir William Meredith, who laid out the foundation for a no-fault insurance model designed to protect workers and employers alike. The system was to be funded entirely by employers, publicly-administered and compulsory, with the exception of a few large enterprises. Known as “the historic compromise” – this was a solution whereby workers gave up the right to sue their employers for guaranteed protection from loss of income, regardless of fault.
Today, the WSIB is one of the largest insurance organizations in North America, providing workplace injury insurance for five million workers with more than 290,000 employers. In a typical year the WSIB handles 200,000 claims for injured or ill workers.
In recent years, the WSIB has made significant progress in becoming more responsive and accountable.
Board officials state WSIB now offers faster and better care for injured workers. Thanks to enhanced focus on customer service and technology, 92 per cent of injury claims are now decided within two weeks.
WSIB remains committed to helping injured and ill workers return to work; and last year alone, WSIB return to work staff made 26,000 on-site visits.
These ground-breaking approaches to worker reintegration, combined with faster access to more effective health care, have resulted in more than two million fewer productive days lost to our economy than just a few years ago.
That is good News for both workers and employers alike. As the WSIB continues to serve the workers and employers of Ontario, it is providing injured and ill workers with care that is faster and better than ever before.
