Effective January 1, 2013, amendments to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 outlined in Bill 119, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2008 will extend mandatory WSIB coverage to certain employers in the construction industry. These amendments will apply, with certain exceptions, to independent operators who carry on business in construction, and to sole proprietors and partners in a partnership that carry on business in construction and do not employ any workers.

On January 1, 2012, a free, “voluntary pre-registration” period of one year will commence during which affected employers may register electronically on the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board ("WSIB") website, through the WSIB’s eServices. Premiums will not become due until January 1, 2013.

The pre-registration period will coincide with a year-long education campaign designed to educate construction industry employers about the new mandatory coverage.

More information about mandatory coverage in the construction industry and the pre-registration period is available in an “F.A.Q” information sheet, which has been posted to the WSIB website.