How Occupational Injury Service (OIS) Can Reduce Your Claims Costs
Do you have an employee that’s been hurt in a work-related incident? Are you looking to get an injured worker back on the job as quickly and safely as possible? Do you want to minimize costs associated with work-related claims? Consider using the WCB Alberta’s Occupational Injury Service (OIS). The OIS was specifically developed for anyone who was hurt at work. It gives injured workers quick access to medical services at specialized clinics throughout the province of Alberta while helping employers to manage claims, facilitate a successful return to work plans, and contain claims costs. Some of the benefits of OIS are: Quick access to physicians trained in dealing with work-related injuries that are familiar with the WCB-Alberta process – usually within 30 minutes Completion and submission of reports to the WCB – often the same day Expedited diagnostic and treatment services like MRI’s, ultrasounds, physiotherapy and specialist referrals Development […]
Back To Work?
It’s the dog days of summer, Labour Day is fast approaching. That means cooler weather is on its way and with it comes new challenges as we try to find our footing in a post-pandemic world. Virtually every business has been affected by the lockdown and safety precautions that COVID-19 has necessitated, whether it was lay-offs, working from home, providing essential services, operating with a skeleton staff or finding innovative ways to provide goods and services. The full impact of COVID-19 is yet to be realized but we do know that it has taken a toll on our economy, our lifestyles, our livelihood and our mental health. It’s undeniable, COVID-19 has changed us, at work, rest and play. It has changed the way we do business, the way we interact, the way we travel, the way we shop, the way we entertain ourselves and the way we receive healthcare. Some […]
Getting Back to Work in the Post-COVID-19 World
There are some encouraging signs that the peak of the current wave of COVID-19 has passed, restrictions are easing off and the economy is starting to reopen. While this is good news, it doesn’t mean that we are out of the woods yet. How organizations get back to business and the precautions they take could make all the difference of how successful the next phase will be. Resuming operations following the pandemic may seem like a daunting task but a step by step approach can make the job more manageable. The safety of all workers must be the primary focus of any business when attempting to reopen or increase operations and implementing COVID-19 protocols that conform with government and health care regulations is a key component. The following outlines 5 tips to consider when reopening or ramping up your business: 1. Keep employees safe: We all know the drill by […]
COVID-19 and WCB Claims
As COVID-19 continues to hold us in its grasp and businesses scramble to figure out how to survive the long term impact of the pandemic, new workers’ compensation issues are emerging. While essential businesses and services remain open, there will undoubtedly be work-related incidents and accidents and for the most part, those workers’ compensation claims will be processed as they always have been. However, the novel coronavirus is redefining guidelines as they relate to acceptable occupational disease claims, at least for now. Prior to this pandemic, acceptable Workers’ Compensation (WCB) claims were primarily limited to front line health care or emergency response workers who contracted a communicable disease, with few exceptions being made in individual circumstances. When the provincial and federal governments mandated the closure of non-essential businesses and ordered everyone to stay at home the goal was to stop the spread of the virus and control the pandemic. Workers […]
What is the Training-on-the-Job Program?
Did you know as an Alberta employer, you can take advantage of the WCB’s Training-on-the-Job (TOJ) program to hire a new employee? Did you know that it can save you time, money and training costs while protecting you from a WCB claim due to any injury or re-injury? Did you also know that it can positively impact WCB premiums? When a worker gets injured on the job it can sometimes lead to permanent work restrictions that prevent them from being able to return to their pre-accident position. In most cases, the injured worker still has many valuable transferable skills, education or experience that can make them a productive member of the workforce, they just need the opportunity to prove it. WCB Alberta offers incentives to Alberta employers who provide job opportunities for injured workers that are unable to return to their pre-injury employment. Through the TOJ program, the WCB provides: […]