Workers: How to report and what to expect
If you have a work-related injury or disease, we want to help you as soon as possible. This is an overview of how to report a workplace injury or illness, what happens when we receive your report, and the steps that take place in most claims.
- What to do when you're injured
- How to report your injury
- After you've reported your injury or illness
- When your claim is accepted
- If you disagree with a claim decision
- Resources
What to do when you're injured
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1
Report your injury immediately to your employer
Your employer is responsible for getting you any necessary first aid, and for transporting you to a medical facility if that's what you need. Be sure to keep in touch with your employer if you are off work.
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2
See your physician
Your doctor may recommend treatment for your injury, and may refer you to other health care practitioners. Be sure to ask about what modified work duties, and activities at home, you can do to help your recovery. And always let your health care provider know that you were injured at work.
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3
Report your injury to us
If you have a work-related injury or disease, report it to us as soon as possible so we can start your claim for services and benefits. Our team will gather your information and answer any questions you may have about making a claim.
See below for how to report your injury to us and information you'll need to provide.
How to report your injury
We encourage you to report your injury right away. The sooner we hear from you, the sooner we can start to help you.
How to report your injury
| Teleclaim (recommended if you’ve missed work or in certain circumstances) | 1.888.WORKERS (1.888.967.5377) See the information you’ll need to make your report. |
| With an account | Log on or create an account |
| Without an account | Report without creating an account |
| Form (fax or mail) | Use Application for Compensation and Report of Injury or Occupational Disease (Form 6) |
Mental health claims
We’re here to help. The first step in starting a mental health claim is to report it to us by calling Teleclaim. To learn more about what mental health conditions are eligible for benefits and what to expect with a mental health claim, please see Mental health condition claims.
Report by calling Teleclaim in these circumstances
If you’ve missed work, please report your injury to us by calling Teleclaim instead of reporting online. Please also call Teleclaim if your claim is related to any of the following circumstances so that we can connect you with a specialist or provide specific assistance:
- If your claim involves sexual assault or sexual harassment
- If your claim involves progressive hearing loss that is not associated with a specific incident
- If you’re a fisherman
- If your claim is related to a mental health condition
Additional information for claims in these circumstances
If your claim is related to one of the following topics, reviewing this information may help you when making a claim:
- COVID-19
- Hearing loss
- Mental health conditions
- Occupational diseases
- Out-of-province claims
- If a third party was involved
Report your injury as soon as possible so we can start your claim and provide help. Delays in reporting could affect your claim.
If you think you have a work-related disease or illness, report it to us as soon as you notice the symptoms. You can file an occupational disease claim even if you're not working or you've changed jobs.
It is against the law for your employer to discourage you from reporting a work-related injury or disease.
When you report your injury we'll ask you for the following information:
- Contact information for yourself and your employer
- The date of your injury and how it occurred
- Who you reported your injury to (your employer, health care providers)
- What, if any, days or shifts you’ve missed from work
- Information about any additional employers you may have
- Names and phone numbers of your health care providers (doctor, physiotherapist, etc.)
- Your social insurance number if you've missed time from work
- Your personal health number (from your BC Services card or driver's license)
- If you've missed time from work, you'll also need to tell us your earnings from your most recent paystub and the past 12 months
In some cases, someone who is neither a worker nor an employer covered by the Act may be involved in your workplace injury or illness. If that's your situation, please read about benefits and lawsuits for injury, death, or disease in the workplace to understand the decisions you may need to make.
After you've reported your injury or illness
Once we've reviewed reports from you, your employer, and your physician, we will inform all three parties whether the claim is accepted. See more information about how we determine eligibility for a claim.
Your claim number: We assign a claim number when we receive a report of injury. We share this number with you, your employer, and your health care provider. Please use this number when communicating with us about your claim.
Medical treatment: Be sure to follow up regularly with your physician or nurse practitioner and give your claim number to anyone who provides medical treatment related to the claim.
- If you receive medical treatments, such as physiotherapy, related to your claim before we've accepted your claim, you may be asked to pay for them directly. If your claim is later accepted, you can contact your treatment provider to request reimbursement. They will normally bill us directly for all your approved treatments.
- See health care benefits for information on getting and paying for treatment, as well as treatment guidelines when your claim is accepted.
Grant us access to information: Please complete and submit a Worker's Authorization for Release of Personal Information from Third Parties to WorkSafeBC (Form 69W1) to give us permission to ask others for information relevant only to this claim. This will ensure we have the information we need to make a decision on your claim and serve you more quickly. See view and submit claim documents for details on accessing and submitting information about your claim.
Keep in contact with your employer: Stay in touch with your employer and, as appropriate, discuss modified duties or a return-to-work program. If you remain at work, talk to your employer about how you're doing and if adjustments are needed to your duties or workplan. If you have any questions about your claim, please call our Claims Call Centre.
Your role: We recommend that you keep in contact with your employer and with us; keep your receipts for prescriptions and health care benefits; and sign up for direct deposit and create an online services account. For more details, see:
Recovery and work: We share a common goal with you, your employer, and your health care provider — to help ensure your work supports your recovery. Our approach supports the strong medical connection between recovery and work.
When your claim is accepted
Your benefits: When your claim is accepted, we tell you and your employer what benefits we can provide. This might include:
- Health care benefits
- Wage-loss benefits for missed time at work
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Permanent disability benefits
- Services for seriously injured workers
If you disagree with a claim decision
If you don't understand a decision, have a concern with any decision we make, or have new information that may affect a decision, you can:
- Ask us to explain and/or reconsider the decision
- Request a review of the decision
We’re able to reconsider a decision on a claim within 75 days of the date of the decision. You can call the person who made the decision and they will explain the reasons for the decision and/or consider any additional information you provide. If you still disagree with a decision after speaking with us, you can request a review by the Review Division within 90 days of the date of the decision.
Resources
Creating an online services account as a worker
Learn how to set up an online services account to access your claim online.
See also:
Application for Compensation and Report of Injury or Occupational Disease (Form 6)
You can file your worker incident/injury report (Form 6) online. You can create an online services account so you can log on later to see more details about your claim.
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