FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WCB Announces 2010 Employer Rates
Workplace Safety - a wise investment in tough economic times
September 3, 2009 – Halifax, NS – The Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) of Nova Scotia announced its 2010 assessment rates to employers this week. It provided an excellent opportunity to remind employers of the importance of injury prevention and return to work as a means to reduce the cost of workplace injury insurance especially in tough economic times.
“It’s more important than ever to focus on creating a safety culture in Nova Scotia,” said Nancy MacCready-Williams, CEO. “Safety is good business, and improvements in safety and return-to-work programs translate into lower costs for workplace injury insurance – which means employers can save money. But, more importantly, it means employees stay safe on the job.”
Almost half (46 per cent) of the 18,000 employers covered by the WCB will see their rate go down or stay the same next year. Home support, metal tank manufacturing, framing, and hardware and paint stores are among the industries that will see rate decreases.
Rates will increase for 54 per cent of employers. Secondhand merchandisers, tire shops, shipbuilding, and concrete and cement manufacturing are among the industries that will see significant increases.
There have been 1,000 fewer people seriously injured (where they lost time from work) since 2005. Injured workers have also been returning to work in a more safe and timely manner following their injuries. Many employers are seeing their rates go down because of improvements they are making in safety and return-to-work programs in their workplaces.
“Employers are in an incredible position of influence when it comes to workplace safety. It is important for them to show leadership and to commit to making safety a priority,” said MacCready-Williams. “We know that the greatest cost of injury is not financial at all. We are already seeing signs that the economy will recover, but the 29 people who died at work in Nova Scotia last year are lost to their families forever. That is the real tragedy.”
Again this year, the WCB is issuing surcharges to employers whose claims costs are significantly and consistently higher than their industry peers. Surcharges help to more fairly allocate the costs of Nova Scotia’s workplace injury, and they provide strong encouragement for employers to make improvements in their safety and return-to-work performance.
In 2010, 77 employers – less than 0.5 per cent of employers covered by the WCB – will be surcharged. Of those, 38 will be surcharged for the first time, 18 for the second time, and 21 for the third time. To be surcharged, an employer’s claims costs must be at least three times their industry average for at least four consecutive years.
Surcharges start at up to 20 per cent of the industry rate, and they are cumulative – up to an additional 20 per cent of the industry rate each year. A surcharge is applied after an employer has received two previous warning notices.
This week, first warning notices are being sent to 175 employers, and 92 employers will receive their second warning that a surcharge may be applied to their rate if their claims costs do not come down.
2010 Surcharged Employers
2010 Rate Fact Sheet
About the WCB
The Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) is committed to keeping Nova Scotians safe and secure from workplace injury. The WCB provides workplace injury insurance for more than 18,000 employers and their 300,000 workers across the province. The WCB sets the standard for workplace injury insurance by informing and inspiring Nova Scotians in the prevention of workplace injury. If an injury occurs, we support those whose lives it touches by championing a timely return to safe and healthy work.
For more information, please contact:
Mary Kingston
Director, Communications
902.491.8101
mary.kingston@wcb.gov.ns.ca