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14 January, 2022
Dear Member;
As many of you working on the front-line know, there has been significant risk of exposure to COVID-19 and all of the variants. While contacting the virus poses immediate risk and discomfort for our members and their families, the lingering and long-term effects are yet to be determined. In 2021, IBEW was made aware of 84 IBEW member cases of Covid -19. Since Jan 1/ 2022 Covid-19 cases have increased enormously with 121 IBEW member cases in just the first 13 days of this year.
Pursuant to the Workers Compensation Act, the Workers’ Compensation Board aims to help prevent and reduce the occurrence of workplace injuries and disease. Knowing this, several members have asked us if WCB covers a member if they contracted COVID-19 in the workplace.
Workplace illnesses, including COVID-19, are covered by the WCB on a case-by-case basis. In many instances COVID-19 are not work related, however the nature and type of the work that you are doing may put you at a greater risk.
If you have contracted Covid-19, as per corporate policy P613, you are required to notify your employer. If you believe you have contracted COVID-19 from exposure in the workplace, you should be advising them of the same at that time. At that time, they should provide you with a Notice of Injury form to complete. You can also call the WCB directly at 204-954-4321 to file a claim.
It is against the law for your employer to discourage you from reporting a workplace injury, or illness, to the WCB, or to influence you to withdraw or abandon a claim once its been made.
A WCB adjudicator will be assigned to determine if you contracted the virus as of the result of workplace exposure. This will include a review to determine work-relatedness, including your work activities, your symptoms, records of other cases in the workplaces and while not always required, a COVID-19 Diagnosis would be further evidence that can be used to determine your entitlement.
The latest update we have is that as of November 30, 2021, approximately 65% of COVID-19 claims submitted to the WCB have been accepted. You are encouraged to keep abreast of any developments in this area and to make sure you can access all means of relief available to you, should you contract COVID-19.
In solidarity,
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