2018 WorkSafeBC Update

WorkSafeBC has set its assessment rates for 2018, and the news is generally positive for employers in the province.

This edition of Human Capital Law and Policy was co-authored by Jock Finlayson, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, and Kristine St-Laurent, Senior Policy Analyst.

Highlights

• WorkSafeBC (WSBC) 2018 assessment rates are generally a good news story for BC employers. For the second consecutive year, average base rates have been lowered.
• The small drop in average WSBC premium rates will be welcomed by BC employers, who have been dealing with repeated hikes in government-mandated taxes and levies in the last half-decade.
• As employers are responsible for covering all premiums levied by WSBC, they have a strong interest in WorkSafeBC’s performance– as well as in ensuring that the system is properly managing cost drivers.
• BC’s workers’ compensation system has a good record of controlling costs and limiting the rise in employer premiums, relative to the systems in most other provinces.
• The arrival of a new government in Victoria may herald a shift in occupational health and safety policies and regulations that will have an impact on future employer premiums as well as on regulatory compliance costs. The Business Council intends to devote additional resources to research and advocacy on WorkSafeBC issues in 2018-19.

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