Join the WSIB's Health and Safety Excellence program

Audio Visual

Happy, energetic background music is playing.

The WSIB logo appears.

Happy, energetic background music is playing.

A series of images and video clips that show:

a women standing beside a school bus

a person walking in a building under construction

a person working on an electrical system

a group of people wearing safety vests, hard-hats and safety glasses standing in a circle

a person moving a grocery shipment on a power jack

The words “Protect your business. Protect your people. With the WSIB’s Health and Safety Excellence program” appear.

Happy, energetic background music is playing.

The words “What is the Health and Safety Excellence program?” appear.

So, the Health and Safety Excellence program has really helped me as a manager.

A decal on a storefront window that reads “Tara Natural Foods.” 

A person entering the store through the front door.

Charlotte, the manager of Tara Natural Foods, speaking while standing in a room where products are stored.

It has given me, let’s say, just a to do list that I’m able to look at, read, understand, tick off, maybe give myself a little pat on the back every so often. Again, as a manager, I would highly recommend it.

In the store, there are shelves filled with products and a person walking in an aisle.

A group of three people sitting in an office and talking with each other.

A close up of a person’s hand that is writing in a notebook.

A person standing behind a counter and working on a checkout machine.

A person scooping flour into small plastic baggies.
Charlotte speaking while standing in a room where products are stored.

The WSIB’s Health and Safety Excellence program will help you improve workplace health and safety

The storefront of Tara Natural Foods.

The WSIB logo with the words “Health and Safety Excellence program” appear.

So you can better protect your business and your team.

An image that shows a vehicle parked in front of a building under construction and a video clip of a person in a safety vest and hard-hat working on electrical wiring.

The words “Protect your business. Make work safer for your team.” appear.

As a member of the program, you’ll earn rebates on your WSIB premiums while you make improvements to your workplace health and safety plan.

You’ll also help to reduce the risk of injuries and illnesses that can harm your employees, damage morale and disrupt the way your business runs.

A couple video clips that show a person in coveralls and safety glasses working on the engine in a school bus and people shopping in a grocery store.

The words “Earn rebates. Reduce injuries and illnesses.” appear.

And if yours is a smaller business with 1 to 99 employees, your rebates will be doubled for this year.

We’ll also give you $1,000 towards your new health and safety plan.

A graphic depicting six people with the words “Smaller business 1-99 employees” appears.

A graphic of two piggybanks with the words “Doubled rebates for this year” appears beside the first graphic.

Finally, a graphic of a safety vest with the words “Plus $1,000 towards new health and safety plan” appears.

The first thing you’ll do is choose your provider.

The words “How does the program work?” appear.

You’ll choose an approved health and safety company – a provider – who will be there to support you through every step of the program.

A series of video clips that show:

a laptop with the program’s web portal on the screen

a person’s hand using a computer mouse

a person looking at a computer screen

a person typing on a keyboard

The words “WSIB-approved health and safety provider” appear.

You can use our provider finder to help you figure out which provider is best for you based on things like your industry, location and the type of support you want.

A video clip that shows a cursor clicking on answers to a few questions in the provider finder on the WSIB’s website.

The words “Industry. Location. The type of support you want.” appear.

With the help of your provider, you’ll figure out which health and safety improvements are most important for your business.

A person wearing a hard-hat and safety vest shuts the door of a work vehicle while holding a tablet in their hand.

A close up of the tablet.

Two people wearing hard-hats, safety vests and safety glasses talk while standing and then walking on a construction site.

Then you’ll choose the topics you want to focus on for the year.

Three people talking to each other while sitting around a table in an office.

There are 39 topics to choose from and we’ve divided them into three levels: Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced.

The words “Foundation. Intermediate. Advanced.” appear. A cursor points to each word as the narrator says the word.

So the program can help everyone, whether you’re just starting out or already have a strong health and safety program that you want to build on.

A person using a cloth to wipe down the handle on a shopping cart.

A group of people wearing safety vests, hard-hats and safety glasses talking while standing in a building that is under construction.

A person standing on a job site and watching a small construction vehicle move around.

Each of our program topics represents a specific area of health and safety.

The words “What is a topic?” appear.

And each topic can help you improve your business’s health and safety practices.

A bulletin board with the words “Health and Safety” at the top.

A person in a hard-hat and holding a piece of paper while talking to a group of people standing in a building that is under construction.

For example, let’s say you want to make it easier for your team to get involved in health and safety.

A bulletin board with the words “safety is our way of life.”

A person flipping through pages in a binder and then standing holding a piece of paper while speaking to a group of people seated at tables.

A person looking through papers and another person handing a colleague a piece of paper.

Your provider might recommend the health and safety communication topic, which will help you:

  • build a plan and processes for ongoing communication with your team
  • do the work to communicate with your team about health and safety
  • check that the work you’ve done is going according to plan and meeting your team’s needs
  • and act to make any necessary changes to your original plan, and then share the successes with your team

An animated graphic with arrows moving clockwise around a grey circle. The circle is divided into four quarters, which are labeled Step 1 Plan, Step 2 Do, Step 3 Check, Step 4 Act. Each quarter expands and changes colour as the narrator explains each of the steps.

A group of people talking while sitting around a table in an office.

From the day your provider approves your topic, you have up to 12 months to implement it.

When we talk about implementing, or developing a topic, we mean building it into your business’s day-to-day procedures.

The words “How long does each topic take?” appear.

A series of video clips that show:

people working at their desks

people wearing hard-hats and safety vests while standing in a circle on a job site

people speaking to each other while sitting at a desk

a person reviewing papers

The amount of time and effort that each topic takes varies because it’s based on the unique needs of your businesses.

A series of video clips that show:

a person in a hard-hat walking through a building that is under construction

a person working on a smart phone

people talking in front of a bulletin board

a person with a safety vest and clipboard looking around a warehouse

Once you’ve chosen your topics, your provider will help you figure out how much time they’ll take to implement.

Once you’ve finished implementing your topic, you need to put together an evidence package to show us the work you’ve done.

A series of video clips that show:

a person standing up from the driver seat of a school bus to put gloves in an overhead compartment

a person closing the emergency exit on a school bus

a person wearing a safety vest and holding a clipboard looking around a warehouse

a person wearing a hard-hat checking a safety station on a wall in a building under construction

a person using a key to turn on the engine of a school bus

a person working on their evidence package on a computer

Putting this package together will probably take a little extra time, but don’t worry, your provider will be there to help you.

A person in a hard-hat looking through papers on a clipboard and hanging the clipboard on a wall.

Two people sitting beside each other looking at documents.

Program costs are different for everyone, but the only costs you’ll pay are to your provider and for any improvements you choose to make to your business.

You won’t pay anything to the WSIB outside of your regular premium payments.

The words “How much does the program cost?” appear.

A graphic of a dollar sign on the left side of the screen with the words “Your costs” underneath.

A graphic of a person on the right side of the screen with the words “Your provider” underneath.

An animated arrow points from the dollar sign to the graphic of the provider.

Each provider has their own prices and what you pay will be based on the topics you choose and the type of support you want.

 

A graphic of a clipboard and a dollar sign on the left side of the screen.

On the right side of the screen, a graphic of steps with the word “Foundation” on the bottom step, the word “Intermediate” on the middle step and the word “Advanced” on the top step.

Although we can’t give you exact costs right now, we can tell you that in most cases, members of the Health and Safety Excellence program are eligible to earn more in rebates than they pay in providers’ fees.

The words “Your costs” on the left side of the screen with a dollar sign and graph bar underneath.

The words “Your rebate” on the right side of the screen with a piggy bank and a graph bar underneath.

The graph bar under “Your rebate” grows higher than the graph bar under “Your costs” to indicate that rebates are typically higher than costs.

Rebate amounts are different for everyone because they’re calculated using the amount you paid in WSIB premiums the previous year, the size of your business and the number of topics you complete.

The words “What would my rebate be?” appear.

A person sitting at a computer and looking through papers.

A person in a hard-hat looking through papers.

The words “Previous year’s premiums,” “Size of your business” and “Number of topics completed” appear.

We’ve set a rebate minimum though, so you’ll earn at least $1,000 or if you paid less than $1,000 in premiums the previous year, you’ll receive 100 per cent of the cost of those premiums.

We’ve also set a maximum rebate amount and that’s $50,000 per topic. So the most a business can earn in rebates is $250,000 if they complete five topics, or up to 100 per cent of the amount they paid in premiums the previous year.

The words “Minimum rebate $1,000 or up to 100% last year’s premiums” beside a graphic of a piggy bank and short graph bar appear on the left side of the screen.

The words “Maximum rebate $50,000 per topic or up to 100% of last year’s premiums” beside a graphic of a piggy bank with a tall graph bar appear on the right side of the screen.

For example, let’s say you’re a small tool and die maker with 15 employees.

Your total WSIB premium cost last year was $20,000 and you completed one topic.

The words “ABC Tool and Die Maker, 15 employees” above a graphic depicting 15 people and the words “$20,000 last year’s premiums, 1 topic completed” appear.

The general rule of thumb for smaller businesses is that for each topic you complete, you’ll receive two per cent of last year’s annual premiums.

But, we promise a minimum of $1,000 for each topic you complete.

So if two per cent of your premiums from last year’s premiums is less than $1,000, you’ll automatically get bumped up to $1,000 per topic.

The words “ABC Tool and Die Makers” appear above calculations that read:

“2% of $20,000
= $400
Then the $400 is crossed out and = $1,000 appears

And then the words “Or up to 100% of last year’s premiums” appear.

And remember, if yours is a smaller business with 1 to 99 employees, your rebates will be doubled for this year.

We’ll also give you $1,000 towards your new health and safety plan.

A graphic depicting six people with the words “Smaller business 1-99 employees” appears.

A graphic of two piggybanks with the words “Doubled rebates for this year” appears beside the first graphic.

Finally, a graphic of a safety vest with the words “Plus $1,000 towards new health and safety plan” appears.

I would recommend the program to everybody.

The words “Why should I join?” appear.

Brian Westermann, President of Brian’s Little Electric, is speaking while standing in front of equipment organized on shelves.

It helps keep you focused on safety.

A parked vehicle with the words Brian’s Little Electric on the rear window. The vehicle is in front of a building that is under construction.

It helps open your eyes and look at safety in a different light that you don't normally look through.

A group of people wearing safety vests, hard-hats and safety glasses is talking while standing in a building that is under construction.

A man wearing a safety vest, hard-hat and safety glasses is working on electrical wiring in a building that is under construction.

You're always busy doing work doing all the jobs you have to do.

Brian is speaking while standing in front of equipment organized on shelves.

Sometimes safety can get pushed to the side, whereas when you're part of the program it keeps your eyes focused on safety.

A person in a safety vest and hard-hat is walking down a hallway in a building that is under construction.

Brian is speaking while standing in front of equipment organized on shelves.

And I think everybody should be in the program.

A computer screen appears showing Brian’s Little Electric page in the program’s online portal.

Our field staff love it.

Brian is speaking while standing in front of equipment organized on shelves.

They feel a sense of pride on the job that we're looking out for them.

A person wearing a safety vest, hard-hat and safety glasses is working on electrical wiring in a building that is under construction.

They feel safe on the job.

A group of people wearing safety vests, hard-hats and safety glasses is talking while standing in a building that is under construction.

Because we are part of the program, they understand all the work that's going into safety.

Brian is speaking while standing in front of equipment organized on shelves.

The Health and Safety Excellence program is going to help you protect your business and your people.

And there’s no other program out there that will help you earn rebates on your WSIB premiums while you make health and safety improvements.

 

A series of video clips that show:

  • a store employee loading a box in the trunk of a vehicle parked outside the store
  • a group people smiling and laughing
  • a person using a key to turn on a piece of equipment in a warehouse
  • a person putting on safety gloves and maneuvering a piece of equipment into the back of a transport truck
  • a person wearing a hard-hat walking down a hall in a building that is under construction
  • footage showing safety gloves, safety masks and ear plugs on a table
  • a person putting on a safety mask
  • a group of people wearing hard-hats working in a building under construction

We’ve also built the program to line up with other health and safety standards like COR and ISO45001 in case you want to work towards an accredited health and safety management system.

An orange logo for COR, which reads “National COR standard TM certified by IHSA.ca Work Safe for Life” and a red logo for ISO that reads “ISO 45001:2018” appear.

And on top of all that, you can also earn digital badges that you can use on your marketing materials and website to let people know you’re committed to workplace health and safety.

Images of Health and Safety Excellence program digital badges that read “Foundation,” “Intermediate” and “Advanced” scroll from right to left across the screen.

The words “Earn digital badges” and “Show your commitment to health and safety” appear.

The first thing you need to do is choose your provider.

You can use our online provider finder to figure out which providers might be right for you.

If you have any questions about the program or how to choose your provider, our WSIB team is here to help. Just click on the “Contact us” button and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

The words “How do I join?” appear.

Video clips that show a cursor clicking on answers to a few questions in the provider finder and the “Contact us” button on the WSIB’s website.

We’re here to help you:

  • estimate your rebate
  • answer questions about the Health and Safety Excellence program
  • and help you choose a provider

A series of video clips showing different people working at their desks and talking on the phone.

Health and safety is so important for every job site, every workplace that has employees. You want to make sure that they're actually going home in the state that they came to work.

Michaela Zehr, Health and Safety Compliance Coordinator for Brick and Co., is speaking while seated in an office.

A series of video clips that show:

  • a person putting on latex gloves and picking up tools while standing in front of a school bus with the front hood open
  • a grocery store employee wiping down a checkout machine
  • a person wearing a mask
  • a person in the driver seat of a school bus
  • two people standing in a cherry picker that is being elevated beside a building

Happy, energetic background music is playing.

The WSIB logo appears, with the words “Here to help” underneath.