Massive Cost Relief for Employer
Blue Collar scores six-figure cost relief for oilfield services company facing existential WCB crisis Situation: Edmonton-based employer sought cost relief when faced with a 3X rise in WCB premiums due to a single disability claim. The injured worker in question was a high wage earner who was awarded a lifelong pension (ELP) due to a […]
Worker fears WCB’s Supported Job Search
Salesman imagines he’ll be forced to make a drastic career change Dear Blue Collar, WCB is offering a supported job search because I was t-boned several years ago while driving to a sales call. The accident caused injuries that led to permanent work restrictions. Since I can’t return to my former line of work, how […]
WCB PCI payment
Driller loses use of finger and receives $1800 payment from WCB. Sound fair? (Q) I’m a floor hand. I lost a finger at work and had it reattached but I can barely bend it. Workers comp paid out $1800 for the loss of function, but I really don’t feel I’m being fairly compensated for […]
Appeals Commission reconsiders its own decision
When new information comes to light, the Commission will reconsider your WCB appeal Question: In 2018, the Appeals Commission decided that I wasn’t entitled to additional coverage for degenerative disc disease or osteoarthritis in the lumbar region of my spine. I’ve been in misery ever since, and recently new information has come to light regarding […]
WCB and cannabis
WCB has been cautious in its approach to the reported therapeutic benefits of cannabis. But a recent ruling by the Appeals Commission might change the calculus. For a long while now cannabis has enjoyed a renaissance in public opinion. The high drama of pot stocks shooting up and crashing down feels like ancient history. The […]
Ignoring worker can lead to costly WCB premiums
Worker asks his deep-pocked employer for an inexpensive job accommodation, but the request falls on deaf ears. Employers pay heed: WCB does not take kindly to negligence. (Q) For 15 years I’ve been climbing in and out of a loader up to 100 times daily. Rather than investing in proper equipment, my employer has […]
Does WCB recognize pain and suffering?
Telling a disabled worker that WCB won’t acknowledge their pain is never a pleasant experience. But the fact remains that WCB doesn’t compensate on the basis of pain and suffering per se. Of course this is rarely a problem for workers with bone fractures, dislocations, and other clear-cut and detectable skeletal injuries; after all, medical […]
Returning to Work with PTSD
Dear Blue Collar, After saying their goodbyes at the company Christmas party, our worker and his wife took their leave. On the way home, they witnessed someone driving erratically on the Henday, swerving and stunting at high speed. Thinking the driver was intoxicated, our worker sped up to record the license plate. The chase ended […]
WCB and PTSD
Question from Bianca: Last spring we had a scary incident occur in our West Edmonton industrial yard. One of our cranes sunk into the soft soil during a heavy lift and toppled over. We’re so thankful nobody was injured, but the operator himself has been off work with post-traumatic stress ever since. He’s a veteran […]
To transfer or not to transfer WCB costs
A subcontractor worries about transferring claims costs to a general contractor Dear Blue Collar, I’m wondering whether to transfer WCB costs after a truck driver under our employ witnessed a fatality on a job site. Late last year, after arriving at his destination, our driver released the straps on a load of lumber. Upon doing […]