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6 MINKnow Your Rights · Guide · Canada

Hurt at Work: First 24 Hours & Workers' Compensation Deadlines

The iamonmybreak Desk · Last checked 2026-11-13

What happens in the first 24 hours after a workplace injury — a fall, back strain, cut, burn, repetitive-strain flare-up, or chemical exposure — sets the paper trail for medical coverage and wage-loss benefits. Across Canada, an injured worker does not need an employer’s permission to see a doctor or open a workers’ compensation claim.

PART 1: Why an employer cannot stop a worker from reporting an injury

In Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta, claim suppression is illegal:

  • No side-deals or threats: An employer or supervisor cannot threaten discipline, cut shifts, promise cash or “paid sick days off the books,” or pressure an injured worker not to report a workplace accident to the compensation board.
  • Ontario: Prohibited under section 22.1 (and prosecuted as an offence under section 155.1) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.
  • British Columbia: Prohibited under section 73 of the Workers Compensation Act (employers and supervisors must not, by agreement, threats, promises, inducements, persuasion, or any other means, discourage or impede reporting to WorkSafeBC).
  • Alberta: Prohibited under section 140.1 of the Workers’ Compensation Act (no employer may directly or indirectly discourage or impede a worker from reporting an accident to WCB-Alberta).
  • Why “off-the-books” cash deals fail later: If a back, shoulder, knee, or concussion injury worsens weeks or months later — or if employment ends — there is no contemporaneous employer report or medical chart tying the injury to the shift unless it was reported when it happened.
  • Pay on the day of injury: Provincial compensation laws set specific day-of-injury wage rules (for example, in Ontario an employer covered by WSIB must pay the worker’s full net wages for the day or shift on which the injury occurred).

PART 2: Reporting deadlines & rules by province and federal sector

Every covered workplace injury requiring medical care beyond first aid — or causing lost time or modified work past the day of injury — triggers three separate reports: the health professional’s report, the employer’s report, and the worker’s claim. Current compensation rules are also tracked on our Pay and rights Facts pages.

Ontario — Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

  • Employer reporting deadline: Within 3 business days of learning of a workplace injury that requires health care, results in lost time, or requires modified work at less than regular pay (or more than 7 calendar days of modified work at regular pay), using Form 7.
  • Worker claim deadline: File Form 6 (Worker’s Report of Injury/Disease) as soon as possible, and within 6 months of the date of injury (or within 6 months of learning that an occupational disease is work-related). Filing Form 6 also provides the functional-abilities consent needed to keep benefits moving.
  • How to file: Online at wsib.ca or by calling WSIB at 1-800-387-0750.

British Columbia — WorkSafeBC

  • Employer reporting deadline: Within 3 days (72 hours) of an injury that requires medical treatment beyond first aid, causes lost time past the day of injury, or meets other reportable criteria under the Workers Compensation Act.
  • Worker claim deadline: Report to the employer right away and file a worker application (Teleclaim or Form 6) as soon as possible — the statutory deadline is 1 year from the date of injury (or date of disablement for an occupational disease).
  • App-based ride-hail and delivery workers in B.C.: Since September 3, 2024, app-based ride-hail and food/retail delivery workers in British Columbia are covered by WorkSafeBC whether the platform labels them employees or independent contractors.
  • Wage-loss baseline & how to file: WorkSafeBC wage-loss benefits generally pay about 90% of calculated net average earnings (up to the annual maximum wage rate). File by calling Teleclaim at 1-888-967-5377 (1-888-WORKERS) or online at worksafebc.com.

Alberta — Workers’ Compensation Board – Alberta (WCB-Alberta)

  • Employer reporting deadline: Within 72 hours of learning of an injury that disables (or is likely to disable) a worker beyond the day of the accident or requires medical aid beyond first aid.
  • Worker claim deadline: Report to the employer and to WCB-Alberta right away; the statutory outer limit to file a worker report is within 24 months of the accident (or of learning the injury is work-related).
  • Wage-loss baseline & how to file: WCB-Alberta wage replacement generally pays 90% of net earnings up to the yearly maximum compensable earnings ceiling. File online via the WCB-Alberta myWCB portal/app or call 1-866-922-9221.

Federally regulated workplaces (Government Employees Compensation Act & provincial boards)

  • No separate federal compensation board: Canada does not run a separate federal workers’ compensation board.
  • Federal government, Crown corporation, and Parliamentary employees: Covered under the federal Government Employees Compensation Act (GECA) through ESDC’s Federal Workers’ Compensation Service, which routes claims to be adjudicated and paid by the provincial workers’ compensation board where the employee is usually employed (WSIB in Ontario, WorkSafeBC in B.C., WCB-Alberta in Alberta).
  • Private-sector federally regulated workers (banks, airlines, telecoms, interprovincial trucking, rail, couriers): Covered directly under the provincial workers’ compensation board where they work, alongside federal Canada Labour Code Part II health-and-safety hazardous-occurrence reporting rules.

PART 3: Written injury report template (send in the first 24 hours)

Even after speaking to a supervisor in person, send a short written message so there is an exact timestamped record of notice:

Copy, fill in, send

Subject: Workplace injury report — [date of shift] — [your full name]

Hello [Supervisor / Safety / HR name],

I am writing to confirm the workplace injury I reported today, [date], during my [start time]–[end time] shift at [worksite / location].

At approximately [time], while [brief factual description of task, e.g., lifting pallets in Receiving / walking down wet stairs in Kitchen], I injured my [body part, e.g., lower back / right wrist]. [Name(s) of witness(es) or first-aid attendant, if any] was present / provided first aid.

I am seeking medical assessment today at [clinic or hospital name] and will share any functional-abilities or modified-work restrictions provided by the health professional. Please let me know once the employer injury report has been submitted to [WSIB / WorkSafeBC / WCB-Alberta].

Thank you, [Your full name] · [Phone number / Employee ID]

If the workplace condition that caused the injury remains an immediate hazard to you or coworkers, Ontario (OHSA Part V), British Columbia (OHS Regulation), Alberta (OHS Act Part 3), and federal law (Canada Labour Code s. 128) all protect a worker’s statutory right to refuse unsafe work without reprisal when following the reporting steps.

Where these rules stop. Workers’ compensation coverage is not universal for every business or work arrangement. Outside construction in Ontario and outside covered ride-hail/delivery platform work in B.C., genuine independent contractors and self-employed operators are generally not covered automatically unless optional Personal Coverage was purchased in advance, and a small number of industries are exempt from mandatory provincial registration (where civil or private insurance rules apply instead). Deadlines for appealing a denied decision are much shorter than initial claim deadlines (often 30 days to 1 year, depending on the issue and province). Workers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut file with their own provincial or territorial WCB/WSCC. Quebec (CNESST) is not covered on this page (Quebec workplace rules will be added alongside a French edition). Unionized workers should also notify their union health-and-safety representative immediately.

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iamonmybreak publishes general information for working people. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it is not a substitute for advice about your own situation. Rules differ by province and country and change over time; the date at the top of this piece is when we last checked. For your specific case, especially anything involving money you are owed, contact a free community legal clinic or your provincial or territorial labour standards office.