By Alexandra Skinner
Running a restaurant has always been a balancing act — delight guests, manage staff, control rising costs, and maintain safe operations. But everyday hazards can lead to injuries that affect both people and insurance costs.
Restaurant injuries often stem from common risks such as slips on wet floors, strains from lifting, and cuts or burns during food preparation. Psychological and physical injuries related to violence, bullying, and harassment can also occur.
In B.C., lacerations, strains, and burns account for 73 per cent of all injuries in restaurants, according to WorkSafeBC. Collectively, these injuries result in millions of dollars in claims each year, affecting both individual businesses and the broader industry. In 2025, time-loss claims in the restaurant sector resulted in an average of 42 days away from work per injured worker, creating staffing pressures and added costs for employers.
Because workers’ compensation insurance reflects claim costs, fewer injuries across the sector mean lower base rates for everyone.
“Throughout the pandemic, B.C.’s restaurant industry showed a strong commitment to worker safety. Injury rates dropped in 2020 and have stayed below pre-pandemic levels,” says Alison Jones, Manager of Prevention Programs and Services at WorkSafeBC.
Many employers have continued to build on that momentum through ongoing prevention practices that lead to healthier workers, less downtime, and lower compensation costs. Since 2024, the average base premium rate for a B.C. restaurant has been reduced by 35 per cent. For a restaurant with $500,000 of assessable payroll, that means average savings of $1,550 a year. While the distribution of the industry’s surplus was the largest contributor to lower rates, improvements in health and safety also played an important part. Continued improvements in health and safety will be important for moderating rates over time.
The solution: prevent injuries and support safe return to work
The most effective way to protect workers and lower insurance costs is to prevent injuries before they happen. That starts with everyday prevention practices.
“Focus on the basics and do them consistently,” says Jones. “Keep floors clean and dry, use the right tools and equipment for the job, provide ongoing training for staff, and encourage workers to speak up about their concerns.”
Key actions include:
- Implement strong safety programs: Develop a comprehensive workplace health and safety program that includes hazard identification, staff training, safe work procedures, and regular safety reviews. Investing in better equipment, ergonomic practices, and safer workflows can significantly reduce injury risk.
- Support return to work: Help injured workers safely return to work, even in modified duties. This supports recovery, protects income and job security, and reduces claim duration and overall costs.
- Leverage data and safety tools: WorkSafeBC offers resources, including the Employer Safety Planning Toolkit and interactive data tools, to help employers reduce injuries and improve return-to-work outcomes. These tools also allow employers to analyze claim trends, project how changes may affect rates, and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Use industry health and safety associations (HSAs): Provincially designated HSAs like go2HR, support workplace safety in the service sector and provide resources to strengthen prevention programs.
The reward: lower premiums and more money to reinvest
An individual restaurant’s insurance premium is influenced by its own claims' history over time. If injury costs remain consistently lower than similar businesses, owners may earn a discount; if costs are higher, they may pay more.
Strong safety performance can lead to meaningful savings. For example, in B.C., a restaurant with $1 million in payroll and a base rate of $0.58 could pay:
- As little as $2,900 with strong safety performance and low claim costs
- As much as $11,600 with frequent or severe claims
Experience-based pricing reflects trends over multiple years rather than a single incident, so consistent prevention and return-to-work practices drive long-term savings.
The bottom line: safety pays off
Creating a safer workplace is first and foremost about protecting the people who work in your restaurant. It’s also a legal responsibility under provincial occupational health and safety regulations.
But it’s also a smart financial strategy. Fewer injuries lead to lower claim costs. Lower claim costs help reduce insurance premiums. And lower premiums free up money to reinvest in staff, operations, and the guest experience.
By making safety a core part of restaurant culture, employers are not just reducing risk — they are strengthening their team, their reputation, and their bottom line.