Starting in 1917, the Workmen’s Compensation Board of British Columbia was created. Employees gave up their right to sue and employers agreed to fund a no fault insurance system for those injured or killed on the job. Today the organization is known as WorkSafeBC and it administers the Workers Compensation Act and Regulations, including the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. As a result, if you suffer an injury, including psychological injury, illness or disease, which arises out of and in the course of employment, generally speaking your only source of compensation will be through WorkSafeBC.
However, there are some injuries that are not covered under WorkSafeBC and there are some injuries where you can choose to either claim compensation through WorkSafeBC or sue a third party. The following is a list of some of the types of injuries that occur on the job where you may be able to sue:
As the situations where you can and should sue for injuries occurring on the job are unique, it is a good idea to seek legal advise before taking further action.
Important Note: The information contained in this column should not be treated by readers as legal advice and should not be relied on without detailed legal counsel being sought.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.