Original version : Should I Report to the WSIB




Should I Report the Incident to the WSIB?


You must report the incident to the WSIB within 3 days if your worker:

• Loses time from work or
• Earns less than a regular day's pay or
• Gets health care treatment.

Some examples of covered health care costs are doctors' visits, prescriptions, care in hospitals and other health facilities, physiotherapy, chiropractors' visits, eye glasses and protheses.

You don’t need to report the incident if your worker:

• Only needs first aid.

Some examples of first aid are:

• Cleaning minor cuts, scrapes or scratches
• Treating a minor burn
• Applying bandages, a cold compress or ice bag
• Putting on a splint at the workplace
• Changing a bandage during a follow-up check up that doesn't result in further treatment.

A worker qualified to handle a workplace first aid station can give first aid.

When a company doctor or nurse gives only first aid, it is not considered health care, since it did not require their professional skills.

You can wait on reporting the incident for up to 7 calendar days only if your worker:

• Receives modified work at full pay

Modified work is any change in a regular job while a worker recovers from an injury or illness.

Examples of modified work are

• reduced hours
• different duties

An injured worker can do up to 7 calendar days of modified work at full pay, without the employer reporting the injury to the WSIB, as long as the worker does not need more than first aid. The employer must report workplace injuries or illnesses that go past the 7 calendar days of modified work.

• Needs nothing beyond first aid.

You must keep a record of the incident and what happens during the time your worker recovers. You must report workplace injuries or illnesses that go past the 7 calendar days of modified work.

Exposure to Infectious Diseases

You must report all cases where a worker suffers a needlestick injury, unless you have a surveillance protocol in place.

A surveillance protocol is a formal procedure a health care practitioner follows to test and monitor a person exposed to an infectious disease to see if the person develops that disease.

If you have a surveillance protocol, you need to report the incident only if the worker tests positive or needs any treatment relating to the injury.







The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
200 Front Street West
Toronto, ON M5V 3J1
Phone: (416) 344-1000
Toll free: 1-800-387-5540
Ontario Toll free: 1-800-387-0750
TTY: 1-800-387-0050
Web site: www.wsib.on.ca