1. Program schedule

Engaging with the WSIB/insurance systems 1

Session details

Date:

Time:

12:00pm - 1:30pm (Toronto time)

Location:

Zoom videoconferencing

Didactic presentation by:

Aaron Thompson

Session objectives

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:

  1. Explain what the WSIB is and how it functions  
  2. Describe the role of health-care providers in the workers’ compensation system 
  3. Effectively complete Form 8s for your patients 

Session resources

Code for Medical Surveillance for Designated Substances in Ontario Regulation 490/09 (2019) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act
The Ministry of Labour’s Code for Medical Surveillance for Designated Substances (“Code”) sets out the Medical Surveillance Program requirements for the following designated substances: asbestos, benzene, coke oven emissions, isocyanates, lead (inorganic and organic), mercury (alkyl and non-alkyl compounds) and silica. Source: Government of Ontario
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Didactic presentation: Engaging with the WSIB/insurance systems 1
In this presentation, Dr. Aaron Thompson explains what the WSIB is and how it functions, describes the role of healthcare providers in the workers’ compensation system, and how to effectively complete Form 8s for your patients.
Download the PDF(1.01 MB)
General Hand-Care Instructions
General hand-care suggestions from the contact dermatitis clinic at St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto. Source: Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease
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Glove selection
The appropriate material for each job must be chosen with care. Before deciding about which kind of glove or other chemical protective clothing to use, you should gather and analyze information on a number of factors. Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
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Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)
OHCOW offers a wide range of services to assist with the diagnosis of work-related illnesses. Source: Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers
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Ototoxic chemicals
Ototoxicity is “ear poisoning” caused by drugs or chemicals that target auditory or hearing functions. Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
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Personal Protective Equipment -Chemical Resistance Selection Chart for Protective Gloves
See Table 4: Chemical Resistance Selection Chart for Protective Gloves on pages 26-29 for information on glove selection. Source: US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
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Sudden deafness
Sudden sensorineural (“inner ear”) hearing loss (SSHL), commonly known as sudden deafness, is an unexplained, rapid loss of hearing either all at once or over a few days. Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (US)
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Sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Chin, JC and Dorman, K. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss. CMAJ Mar 2017, 189 (11) E437-E438; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.161191. Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal
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U.K. standards of care for occupational contact dermatitis and occupational contact urticaria
Adisesh A, Robinson E, Nicholson PJ, Sen D, Wilkinson M; Standards of Care Working Group. U.K. standards of care for occupational contact dermatitis and occupational contact urticaria. Br J Dermatol. 2013 Jun;168(6):1167-75. doi: 10.1111/bjd.12256. Source: PubMed
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Unity Health Toronto Occupational Medicine Clinic
The Occupational Medicine Clinic at St. Michael’s provides clinical consultations and exemplary care to those who are suffering from occupational and environmental injury and disease. Patients are seen through referral from their family physician or from specialists. The clinic is also a specialist referral centre for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Occupational Disease Specialty Program that includes Occupational Lung Disease and Allergy, Occupational Dermatology and Contact Dermatitis, Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome and a general Occupational Medicine clinic. Source: Unity Health Toronto
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About presenter

Dr. Aaron Thompson, an occupational medicine specialist, is the chief medical officer of the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). He is also an assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine with a cross-appointment to the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and a former director of the Occupational Medicine Residency Training Program at the University of Toronto. His clinical practice is based at St. Michael’s Hospital, where he is a staff physician in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.

Thompson conducts research in both clinical occupational medicine and disability management, with a focus on improving return-to-work (RTW) programs. He brings specialized expertise by providing a clinical perspective on the needs/gaps in existing communication and accommodation tools, and by providing input on how to optimize tools to facilitate effective and sustained work/RTW through effective accommodations that minimize and prevent disability.

Case presentations

Most of the learning in ECHO happens through presenting and discussing case presentations. If you have a case you would like to present, please submit a completed case presentation form to the ECHO OEM project coordinator.

Physicians presenting a case may bill OHIP for case conferences (billing codes K707 or K701).