NEWS FROM THE FIELD
Available accommodations for the
coming construction season
SHCA has been working with the Ministry of Highways and Tourism
Saskatchewan to secure accommodations and meals for our member
company work crews during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism
Saskatchewan has been working with its members over the past couple of
weeks, with more responses still to come in, and have begun to compile
a list for SHCA members.
The list is continually being updated and will be shared throughout the
construction season. This is not an all-inclusive list and we would encourage
you to contact municipal offices to see what may be available in some
communities not currently shown on the downloadable spreadsheet.
Please download the spreadsheet from www.saskheavy.ca to see the various
hotels/restaurants currently with the capacity to house work crews. We
hope you find this helpful.
Saskatchewan WCB releases
2019 operating results
The Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB)’s 2019 annual
report was tabled in the provincial legislature in early June. The WCB remained
fully funded in 2019 with the ability to cover the future costs of all
claims in the system.
“It continues to be important for us to keep a solid funding position to
ensure benefits and programs are available to cover workers who are injured
at work. As well, employers can be sure that they will be protected
from lawsuits and that they will continue to have an effective, efficient compensation
system,” said Gord Dobrowolsky, the WCB’s chairperson. “As
our labour force has grown over the past decade and as we’ve been dealing
with the COVID-19 pandemic recently, workplace safety becomes more
and more vital for Saskatchewan.”
The WCB’s 2019 results include:
• The workplace total injury rate in 2019 decreased to 4.95 injuries per
100 workers. This is a nine per cent decrease from the 2018 total injury
rate of 5.44 per 100 workers.
• The 2019 time loss injury rate decreased to 1.86 injuries per 100
workers, down from the 2018 rate of 1.99 injuries per 100 workers. This
represents a 6.53 per cent reduction from 2018 rates.
• Claims costs were $281.0 million in 2019 (up from $278.2 million in
2018). The benefits liabilities increased to $1,328.1 million in 2019
(compared to $1,280.9 million in 2018).
• Claim durations and the number of time loss claims are two key drivers
of compensation costs paid. The average duration of time loss claims
decreased to 41.52 days in 2019 (compared to 41.89 days in 2018). The
WCB accepted 8,036 time loss claims in 2019. This is down from 8,151
time loss claims accepted in 2018.
• The WCB’s Injury Fund was at $567.3 million as of year-end 2019
(compared to $399.8 million in 2018).
• The WCB had premium revenue of $267.2 million in 2019 (up from
$256.5 million in 2018) and investment income of $277.1 million in
2019 (compared to loss of $41.6 million in 2018).
• The average premium rate for 2019 dropped to $1.17 per hundred
dollars of payroll, down from $1.19 in 2018. This is the lowest premium
rate in more than 30 years.
• The WCB covered 433,622 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2019
compared to 410,600 FTE workers in 2018.
In 2019, the WCB established the Employer Resource Centre to assist
employers in navigating the Saskatchewan workers’ compensation system.
The centre provides support materials and connects employers with the
right person at the WCB to ensure employers have the tools they need.
For the fourth year in a row, 88 per cent of employers achieved zero injuries
and zero fatalities in the workplace.
“This is a huge success and a testament to the preventative measures being
taken in workplaces around our province. Back in 2008, Saskatchewan
had the second highest workplace injury rate in Canada. Now, thanks to
the health and safety efforts of people around the province, our workplace
injury rate has dropped by almost 52 per cent,” said Phil Germain, the
WCB’s CEO. “This suggests that we still have a great deal of work to do, but
it also shows that we are moving in the right direction. Even as we’ve seen a
decade of improvement, the challenge for us all is to continue to keep our
injury rates declining.”
While last year’s injury rates decreased, the 2019 time loss injury rate remained
the same as it was in 2017 and 2016.
“The 2019 rate is an improvement. However, it means we cannot become
complacent in our efforts to make all workplaces safe in our province,” said
Germain. “Sadly, we lost 36 individuals in work-related deaths last year. Of
those, 17 were from occupational diseases and 19 were from traumatic events
such as heart attacks and motor vehicle crashes. Each one of these deaths had
a shattering impact on the workers’ families and communities.”
Also in 2019, WorkSafe Saskatchewan, the partnership between
the WCB and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety,
launched the Fatalities and Serious Injuries strategy. The strategy was a
joint effort between WorkSafe, employers and labour representatives. The
2019 year-end update highlights what was accomplished during the year to
eliminate fatalities and serious injuries in the province.
“Safety in the workplace is everyone’s responsibility. The Fatalities and
Serious Injuries strategy is meant to build on the work already taking place
in our province to reduce serious injuries and fatalities,” said Germain.
“Even one injury is one too many and we need to work together so everyone
goes home safely every day.”
The WCB’s 2019 annual report is available at www.wcbsask.com/
about-wcb/what-we-do/corporate-plans-annual-reports.
SORNRANISON PRAKITTRAKOON / 123RF
thinkbigmagazine.ca | Quarter 3 2020 | Think BIG 5
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