HR glossary · Safety, conduct and hours

WorkSafeBC

British Columbia's workers' compensation board. It insures employers, pays injured workers and sets and enforces the province's workplace safety rules.

Also called: Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia, BC WCB, WorkSafe BC

What workSafeBC means

WorkSafeBC is the name used by the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia. Unlike in some provinces, it does two jobs: it runs the no-fault insurance system for workplace injuries and illnesses, and it sets and enforces workplace health and safety rules under the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

For a BC employer, that means one organization handles your premiums, your workers' injury claims, your safety inspections and the policies that tell you what your safety program must include, such as the rules on bullying and harassment.

If you hire workers in British Columbia, you will deal with WorkSafeBC on registration, payroll reporting, premiums, claims and safety.

How it works

Premiums are a rate per $100 of assessable payroll, set by your industry classification. For 2026, the average base rate across BC is $1.55 per $100, and the maximum assessable earnings are $127,500 per worker. Earnings above that cap for a worker do not attract premiums.

Your rate can change with your claims. WorkSafeBC's experience rating compares your last 3 years of claim costs per payroll dollar with your rate group. Over time an employer can earn up to a 50% discount or face up to a 100% surcharge on its base rate. That makes safety and early return to work part of your cost control.

When a worker is injured, report it to WorkSafeBC and make sure the worker gets care. For an accepted claim, wage-loss benefits are 90% of the worker's net earnings. Staying in touch, offering suitable modified work when the worker can do it, and keeping good records all help the claim and the return to work.

On safety, WorkSafeBC's policies cover a wide range of topics. Its bullying and harassment policies, in effect since 1 November 2013, require employers to have a policy statement, steps to prevent bullying and harassment, procedures for reporting and responding, training, and a yearly review.

Is it the same in every province?

WorkSafeBC covers British Columbia only. Other provinces and territories have their own boards, and in several of them safety rules are enforced by a separate government department rather than by the board.

Example: Premiums for a Victoria landscaping crew

Mateo runs a landscaping company in Victoria with 7 workers. His total assessable payroll for the year is $315,000, and no one earns more than the $127,500 maximum.

If his industry rate were $3.00 per $100 of assessable payroll, his annual premium would be $315,000 divided by 100, times $3.00, which is $9,450. Mateo checks his actual rate in his WorkSafeBC account, and reviews his claims each year because they can move his rate up or down through experience rating.

Free WCB calculators

Staffkin's free WCB premium calculator uses WorkSafeBC's 2026 maximum assessable earnings, and the claim cost calculator models BC's benefit rate and experience rating range.

Estimate your WCB premium

Free tools and guides for this

Questions about workSafeBC

What is WorkSafeBC's maximum assessable earnings for 2026?

$127,500 per worker. Earnings above that amount do not attract premiums.

How much does WorkSafeBC pay an injured worker?

For an accepted claim, wage-loss benefits are 90% of the worker's net earnings.

Does WorkSafeBC enforce safety rules too?

Yes. It sets and enforces BC's occupational health and safety rules, as well as running workers' compensation insurance.

Can my WorkSafeBC rate go down?

Yes. Through experience rating, an employer with lower claim costs than its rate group can earn a discount of up to 50% over time.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.