WorkSafeBC releases preliminary rates

WorkSafeBC announced preliminary premiums for 2027 on July 13, with most agriculture sectors seeing a decline in their rates.

The two exceptions were the orchard and dairy sectors, which saw their rates increase 4% and 3%, respectively. Orchardists will see their premium rise to $1.84 per $1,000 of payroll, while dairy farms will pay $1.43 per $1,000 of payroll.

The greatest declines in rates is set for greenhouse vegetable growers, which can look forward to a 40% drop to $0.66 per $1,000 of payroll. Cannabis growers follow with a 30% drop to $0.88, then white mushroom growers, down 26% to $1.87 per $1,000 of payroll.

The sectors with the highest premiums will see a minor decline of 1%, with composting and feedlot operations paying $2.87 and $2.81 per $1,000 of payroll.

The base rate for all sectors will remain unchanged in 2027 at $1.55. The base rate has not increased since 2018.

While the average cost rate has increased, WorkSafeBC maintains a significant surplus that it returns to ratepayers in the form of a lower base rate.

WorkSafeBC notes that individual employers who maintain safe workplaces can reduce their premiums.

“Employers with a claim-cost history that is lower-than-average for their rate group will receive an experience-rating discount, while employers with a higher-than-average claim-cost history will receive a surcharge,” it notes.

The latest data report by AgSafeBC notes that the injury rate for agriculture fell in 2024 to 1.98 per 100 workers, just below the provincial average of 2.03 injuries per 100 workers.

While the rate of serious injury was slightly above the provincial average, the actual number of serious injuries in the sector fell to 76 in 2024 from 123 in 2023. In fact, 2024 was the first year with fewer than 100 serious injuries since before 2019.

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