Law
Workplace Safety and Insurance Act
s.88(2)
A Schedule 1 employer is not individually liable to pay benefits directly to workers or their survivors under the insurance plan.
s.90(1)
Every Schedule 2 employer is individually liable to pay benefits under the insurance plan respecting workers employed by the employer on the date of the accident.
Guidelines - Schedule 1
Workplace insurance coverage is compulsory for any business or industry named in Schedule 1, Regulation 175/98. Employers included in Schedule 1 must contribute to the insurance fund.
Insurance fund
The insurance fund is made up of annual premiums paid by Schedule 1 employers. The amount of premium is based on the WSIB's classification of the employer's business activity and the employer's total insurable payroll.
Collective liability
Through contribution to the insurance fund, a Schedule 1 employer is protected by a system of collective liability. Since the WSIB pays benefits to injured workers out of money pooled in the insurance fund, Schedule 1 employers are relieved of individual responsibility for actual accident costs.
Industry classification
Regulation 175/98 divides Schedule 1 employers into 9 different industry classes. For a complete listing of industries covered in Schedule 1, refer to Regulation 175/98.
Mixed operation
The payroll of workers who are engaged in an operation which is carried on partly as an industry under Schedule 1 and partly as an industry not under Schedule 1 is classified as if the entire operation were in Schedule 1.
Adding industries to Schedule 1
The WSIB may recommend to the Lieutenant Governor in Council that any industry not in Schedule 1 be added to Schedule 1.
Guidelines - Schedule 2
Individual liability
Schedule 2 employers are compulsorily covered through a system of individual liability. These employers must individually pay the total costs of benefits for their injured employees.
Administration
To cover the cost of these benefits, the WSIB may request a deposit from the Schedule 2 employer.
The WSIB charges each Schedule 2 employer for the cost of administering their claims. Each year administration rates are calculated and applied as a percentage added to the employers' benefit costs.
Industries in Schedule 2
Schedule 2 of Regulation 175/98 includes the following industries
Federal government
Federal government workers are covered under the Government Employees Compensation Act (a federal statute administered by the provincial workers' compensation boards). These workers are entitled to the same benefits as any worker protected by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act of Ontario. Their claims are administered as if the federal government were a Schedule 2 employer.
The operating departments of the federal government channel all information concerning accidents through the Employment and Social Development Canada - Labour Program to
Transfer to Schedule 1
Any Schedule 2 employer may request a transfer to Schedule 1 and receive the protection of collective liability. Guidelines for Schedule 2 employers requesting transfers to Schedule 1 are the same as those for non-covered employers applying for Schedule 1 coverage (see 12-01-02, Employer by Application).
Application date
This policy applies to all decisions made on or after June 1, 2017.
Document History
This document replaces 12-01-04 dated March 3, 2008.
This document was previously published as:
12-01-04 dated October 12, 2004,
08-01-02 dated December 21, 1994.
References
Legislative Authority
Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, as amended
Sections 67, 68, 74, 88(2), 90(1), 91, 92, 183(2)
O. Reg. 175/98, Schedule 1, Schedule 2, s.12
Workers' Compensation Act, R.S.O., 1990, as amended
Sections 1(3), 5, 6 103, 107, 109(2)
Reg. 1102, R.R.O. 1990
Schedule 1 and Schedule 2
Minute
Administrative
#1, May 31, 2017, Page 539