Workers Comp Simplified

How scary is a WCB / OHS incident?

Episode Summary

Can your company survive a WCB claim or major OHS incident? On this special guest Halloween episode, my guest and I will dig deeper into the fears that happen after you learn of a WCB claim or major OHS incident. Why those fears happen and what you can do about it to save you stress, money, and the relationship you have with stakeholders.

Episode Notes

A major incident just happened. Now what? 

This is a question most companies end up asking. 

As this episode was released on Halloween it only made sense for my guest and I to discuss the fears that our clients have shared with us over our careers and how we help manage them.

My guest is a former crown prosecutor turned company defender helping organizations after fatalities and OHS charges have been laid against your company. 

We will look at how human behavior impacts how we react when we learn about an incident, what we should and should not do, as well as the resources available to help you survive.

You’ll be amazed at how my guest takes you behind the scenes of an OHS incident and what he wants you to know but can’t always say. 

Promising to be a fun spin on a scary topic, get ready to take control of what scares you with this episode!

2:06 – Introduction of special guest

7:45 - What scares a lawyer?

9:39 – What alleviates a client’s fear?

11:25 – WCB decision doesn’t go your way…now what?

13:55 – Controlling your fear with evidence

18:05 – Why you call an OHS lawyer

20:40 – A lawyer’s guide to getting rid of fear after an incident

25:09 – Why you’re making the incident worse

28:40 – What stops a company from getting help?

34:01 – Financial incentives to getting help

37:46 – How to know what WCB / OHS is thinking

39:07 – Rules to surviving a major incident

46:57 – What questions should you ask someone who is going to help you

51:45 – How to convince my boss to get on board

55:25 – Top Gun Series 

60:00 – Learning to address your own fears

About Christopher Spasoff

Christopher Spasoff is one of only a handful of lawyers with experience on both sides of the OH&S regulatory regime, having spent time as both an OH&S Crown Prosecutor and OH&S Defence Lawyer. Don’t let the suit and tie fool you though. Sure, he knows his way around the courtroom, but it’s his experience in the field - ranging from the design and implementation of risk management plans, to boots-on-the-ground attendance at incident sites and active participation in the response, investigation, and preventative efforts that follow – that allows him to really understand the intangibles in this area.

Often sought out for his practical, easy-to-understand advice and common sense approach to problem solving, Christopher left the Crown in May 2014 to establish F2 LEGAL COUNSEL, where he now practices exclusively in the area of occupational health and safety.

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