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Initiatives for Small Business
If you would like to work with WorkSafeBC on health and safety issues, or for more information about health and safety initiatives for Small Business, contact the Small Business Service Centre at .
Industrial Relations Bulletin: Small Businesses Loom Large
Every year, thousands of new enterprises join the huge small business community that drives a large portion of British Columbia's economy. Small business entrepreneurs enter the marketplace with an expectation of a bright future, a healthy bottom line and commercial recognition. The list of what's needed to get started is daunting - a great idea, financing (often their own), and enough energy and passion for their chosen industry to deal with day-to-day ups and downs.
Even with all these assets, a small business can falter if the owner does not understand industry-specific legislation and regulations. One organization known for its commitment to helping small businesses navigate the various bureaucracies is the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). The CFIB provides support in dealing with governments at all levels.
The CFIB has identified the WCB as one area in which small business owners may require some assistance. For those who have never owned a business, the WCB regulation and paperwork can seem overwhelming. In order to help small businesses understand how the WorkSafeBC works and what must be done to meet WCB requirements, the CFIB has partnered with the Small Business Service Centre of WorkSafeBC to develop the Small Business Primer. This booklet is designed so the company can focus on becoming a successful business venture.
The booklet, planned for publication in early 2005, is the first to present information on all relevant WorkSafeBC topics under a single cover. The contents include:
- How to register and estimate premiums
- Ways to reduce premiums by preventing injuries and implementing early return to work programs
- What to do in the event of an accident and how to complete compensation claims
- How to access WCB and other compensation-related resources
Send your comments to before December 1, 2004.
The booklet will provide small business owners with clear instructions on how to ensure their enterprise meets WorkSafeBC requirements, and in the event of a workplace injury or occupational illness, the company is protected and the worker compensated. These are key issues for the survival of all small businesses.
A WorkSafeBC review of nearly 54,000 businesses found that injury rates are nearly three times higher for businesses that failed after only one year, compared to those lasting five years or longer. These data strongly suggest that a business' injury rate is an indicator of how well that business is managed. A low rate would indicate overall good management and positive prospects for a business to survive and thrive.
The relationship between the injury rate and survival is obviously crucial for individual small businesses, but it also carries serious implications for B.C. as a whole. Workplaces with fewer than twenty full-time equivalent employees create more private-sector jobs than large companies and contribute more to our economy than small business in any other province.
Small businesses also loom large from the WCB's perspective. They accounted for only 27% of total provincial payroll in the five years ending 2003, but recorded 45% of all serious injury claims and 36% of workplace fatalities.
The personal toll on workers, families and co-workers is painfully clear, and the financial costs are also significant. For the same five-year period, total claims expenses for small business were about $850 million. The economic impact is even larger when the employer's expenses are considered, such as replacement of injured workers and damaged equipment, lost production and slowdowns due to work disruptions, and future WCB assessment increases.
The benefits of safety as a business survival strategy are clearly shown in the excellent safety records of the six small businesses profiled by the WCB this year: Kamloops Jet Vac Inc., Reckless - the Bike Store, Southwind Inn, Mikan Services, Tinhorn Creek Vineyard, and Justin Stitches.
The new Small Business Primer exemplifies the overriding goal of the Small Business Service Centre, created in 2000 to develop useful and user-friendly materials intended to keep workers working and small businesses running.
In the past year, the Centre worked closely with a variety of industry and trade organizations for retail, home and community care services, warehouse employees, manufacturing and construction sectors, small restaurants and hospitality. In addition, the Centre introduced a "StartSafe" program to deliver WCB materials to small businesses registering with the Board for the first time.
In the coming months, small businesses can expect new Service Centre initiatives targeting steep-sloped roofing, tug boats and barges, security operations, the wine industry, food and beverage processing and manufacturing, landscaping, and pest control.
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