When a worker gets hurt, the first number you see is the WCB claim. But the full cost is bigger than that, lasts longer, and hits more than your premium statement. Alberta construction and trades employers learn this the hard way: the claim is only the visible top of the bill.
The direct cost: premiums and claim dollars
The obvious cost is the WCB claim itself, and it flows through to your premiums. WCB claims and cost management begins with knowing what drives that number.
WCB-Alberta sets employer premium rates annually. For 2026, the average premium rate is $1.46 per $100 of assessable earnings. That average hides a lot: individual rates vary by both industry performance and your company's own safety record. A clean claims history can keep you below the average; a run of injuries can push you above it for years. Rate shifts are real. In 2026, for example, municipal services and co-operatives rose 32.32 per cent, and small animal producers rose 19.72 per cent. The same principle applies across sectors—your experience moves your rate.
Claim volume is heading the wrong way. WCB data shows claim volume increased about a third in 2022 compared to the year before, and roughly 50 per cent since 2019. More claims in the system eventually create upward pressure on employer premiums.
The hidden cost: longer claims
A short, well-managed claim is manageable. A long one is expensive. WCB-Alberta data shows the average lost-time claim duration climbed from 34 days in 2015 to 63 days in 2021 and 2022—nearly double. Every additional day means more wage replacement, more medical spending, and a worker who is harder to bring back.
That matters in construction and trades, where a sprain, strain, or fracture can bench someone for weeks. A 63-day absence isn't just two months off radar; it's eight weeks of short-handed crews, rescheduled work, and a supervisor filling out forms instead