17
Opportunities and Challenges Coping with emergencies
Innovating service delivery
The COVID-19 pandemic brought many unexpected challenges to workplaces in 2020. WorkplaceNL managed risks by implementing its Business Continuity Plan and quickly implemented public health measures to help protect its employees, clients and the public to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
There are opportunities to make services more accessible and modern for injured workers and employers. WorkplaceNL will continue its client-first approach to service delivery and implement digital services that benefit its clients.
During the provincial public health emergency that started in March, WorkplaceNL ensured that benefits were paid to injured workers and financial relief measures were available for employers (see Goal 3). Throughout the pandemic, WorkplaceNL will continue to follow public health guidelines as well as support its clients by providing benefits to injured workers and support to workplaces to prevent injury and illness – such as tips to safely work from home. Reducing injury and illness In the more than 60 years since the workers’ compensation system started in Newfoundland and Labrador, the injury rate has trended downwards. The injury rate was at its highest in 1989 at 5.2 lost-time incidents per 100 employees and recently reached its lowest of 1.5 in 2017. The injury rate increased slightly to 1.6 in 2019 and once again, decreased to 1.5 in 2020. Many partners helped to lower the injury rate through a variety of measures over time including: changes to legislation, increased efforts in prevention and training, and continued support and compliance at worksites. As a result, further reductions in the lost-time injury rate may be increasingly challenging to achieve, requiring leadership and collaboration from all workplace parties and safety partners through continued implementation of the provincial prevention strategy.
Managing health care costs and access to services WorkplaceNL proactively seeks opportunities to manage the cost of health care services for injured workers and to provide them with timely access to care. To do this, WorkplaceNL negotiates agreements with major health care providers, actively manages claims, purchases medical items through the public procurement process, and adheres to the provincial generic drug-pricing policy. Managing financial sustainability WorkplaceNL is a responsible steward of the Injury Fund. As such, stakeholder-agreed financial policies guide WorkplaceNL in setting assessment rates to ensure sufficient funds will be available for existing injured workers for the duration of their claims. The policies also provide a mechanism for WorkplaceNL to respond to external influences, such as volatile investment market performance and general economic factors, in a controlled and responsible manner. WorkplaceNL continues to monitor the financial sustainability of the Injury Fund, with expert external advice, and an established robust monitoring approach of a diverse investment portfolio.
WorkplaceNL - Annual Performance Report 2020
