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WorkSafeBC

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2011 Quick Facts

 

How many people does WorkSafeBC serve?

  • More than 210,000 employers
  • 2.16 million workers are covered

How many phone calls does WorkSafeBC receive every working day?

  • An average of 20,000+ calls

How many pages of documentation does WorkSafeBC receive every working day?

  • WorkSafeBC receives nearly a million claims-related documents per year. That is about 4,000 documents and around 16,000 pages per day.

How many workplaces in B.C. are covered by WorkSafeBC?

  • 500,000+

Percentage of injured workers who rate their experience with WorkSafeBC as good or very good:

  • 74%

Percentage of employers who rate their experience as good or very good:

  • 83%

Percentage of public who believe WorkSafeBC is making a positive contribution to B.C.?

  • 91%
 

What was WorkSafeBC's financial status at the end of 2011?

  • Assets were $12.55 billion
  • Premium income from employers was $1.1 billion
  • Investment income was $488 million
  • Funded position was $2.55 billion

What is the assessable payroll and how big is it?

  • The assessable payroll is the gross earnings of all workers, including wages, salaries, commissions, holiday pay, bonuses, piecework, and any other remuneration paid to workers before deductions, up to a maximum wage per worker
  • The total assessable payroll from employers was $74.93 billion in 2011 (estimated)

What was the aggregate premium rate for employers?

On average, the actual amount collected from employers was $1.51 per $100 of assessable payroll in 2011.

What was WorkSafeBC's funding level in 2011?

At the end of 2011, WorkSafeBC had a funding level of 125%.

How much were WorkSafeBC's costs for 2011?

  • Claim costs were $1,645 million
  • Other costs were $210 million
 

What is the percentage of male to female injured workers?

  • 64% were men; 36% were women

What is the average age of an injured worker?

  • 41

How many young workers (under age 25) were injured in 2011?

  • 6,690 (13%)

How many workers over age 55 were injured in 2011?

  • 9,015 (17%)

How many days were lost from work to injury?

  • 2.9 million

What were the top five injuries (number of claims) in 2011?*

  1. Strains (excluding back strains): 17,910
  2. Back strains: 12,640
  3. Cuts: 5,110
  4. Contusions: 4,970
  5. Fractures: 3,590

*Excludes health care-only claims

What injuries caused the greatest number of days lost from work?*

  1. Strains (excluding back strains): 1,154,000 days lost
  2. Back strains: 563,000 days lost
  3. Fractures: 457,000 days lost
  4. Occupational diseases: 165,000 days lost
  5. Contusions: 139,000 days lost

*Excludes health care-only claims

How many fatal claims were accepted in 2011?

  • 142

For a description of claims accepted for fatal benefits in 2011, view the 2011 Statistics Report.
 

How many short-term disability claims were paid for the first time in 2011?*

  • 47,974

*Formerly called wage-loss claims

When a worker was injured on the job, how long was it from the day of disablement to the first payment on a claim?

  • An average of 21.8 calendar days

What was the average number of days paid for short-term disability claims?

  • 60.4 days

What are the top industry subsectors for claims?*

Subsector Claims first paid Days lost Claim costs (millions)
General construction 6,733 407,966 $152.8
Health care/social assistance 8,217 327,701 $65.2
Retail 5,302 212,541 $45.4
Accommodation, food, and leisure services 4,995 205,152 $43.0
Service sector (other services) 4,369 265,547 $92.0

*Excludes health care-only claims

How many injuries were reported last year?

  • 141,559

How many claims were accepted last year?

  • 103,940

What percentage of claims were disallowed in 2011?

  • 6.6 %
 

How many health and safety inspections were done in 2011?

  • 39,097

How many health and safety orders were written in 2011?

  • 63,700

How many penalties were imposed in 2011?

  • 351

What was the value of penalties imposed in 2011?

  • $4.88 million