Frequently Asked Questions
If a postsecondary student completes an Unpaid Work Placement as part of their publicly supported postsecondary education program and
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The Placement Employer has WSIB coverage, the Ministry will repay the cost of any benefits paid to the student;
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The Placement Employer does not have WSIB coverage, the Ministry pays for private insurance coverage through Chubb.
Laurentian University also provides minimal accidental private insurance coverage for all full time students. (in cases where the Ministry would not cover an incident).
The Ministry coverage is in effect from the start date of the work placement to its end date. Coverage is only available with respect to an accident during the work placement.
Laurentian University also provides minimal accidental private insurance coverage for all full time students while they are enrolled in a full-time program.
Under the legislation, “diseases” and “injuries” caused by an “accident” in the workplace are covered by the WSIB. The WSIB definition of an accident is as follows:
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a wilful and intentional act
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a chance event occasioned by a physical or natural cause; and
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a disablement arising out of and in the course of employment
Accidents that incurred outside of the work placement are not eligible for coverage under the WSIB.
The student is covered only when she/he reaches the Placement Employer's premises where she/he is assigned to work, regardless if the main site is not the same as the Placement Employers.
A regular place of employment is any location where your employee regularly reports for work or perform the duties of employment. In this case, "regular" means there is some degree of frequency or repetition in the employee's reporting to that particular location in a given pay period, month, or year. This "place" does not have to be an establishment of the employer.
A regular place of employment may include:
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the office where your employee reports daily
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several locations that a worker visits monthly
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a client’s premises when an employee reports there daily for a 6 month project
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a client’s premises if the employee has to attend biweekly meetings there
Depending on the circumstances, you may have more than one location where you regularly report for work. If you travel between home and several work locations during the day, only the trip from your home to the first work location or, the trip from the last work location to home is personal driving. Any travel between work locations is business related. However, this type of travel should be conducted with a mentor/supervisor.
Some examples would be:
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Running personal errands.
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Travel between home and a regular place of employment.
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Travel between home and a regular place of employment even if they drive a company vehicle.
No. Placement Employers must have their own liability insurance.
Placement forms
Pre-placement Forms
A Placement Agreement Form must be completed between the Placement Site and the University before a student begins their placement. The following Standard Placement Agreement Form must be read, completed, and signed by a legal signing authority of the placement site, as well as the Chair/Director of the academic unit. Please note that the Letter to Placement Employers Form only requires a signature from the partner organization.
Prior to participating in their placements, students must also complete a Student Declaration form and a Protection of Confidential Information Agreement form
In the event of an Injury
These forms must be completed by the Placement Employer in the event of an injury or incident. These are returned to the Placement Coordinator who will forward to the Health and Safety Manager.