Terry Bogyo

Terry is an active researcher, speaker and commentator on workers compensation issues. Now retired, he was the Director of Corporate Planning and Development for WorkSafeBC. His responsibilities included environmental scanning, strategic planning and inter-jurisdictional comparisons. Terry says of himself: I am a student of workers’ compensation systems. Many years ago I discovered two things about this area. First, workers’ comp and OH&S are of vital importance to people. Protecting, caring for and providing compensation to workers are important, noble and morally responsible endeavors. The second thing I learned was that no matter how much I knew about workers' comp/OH&S, there was always so much more to learn. This is an endlessly challenging area of study. My purpose, therefore, is not to lecture, but to reflect on the ideas and issues that are topical in this area... and to invite others to share in a learning experience. By adding your knowledge and insights, others with similar interests can participate in the discovery and study of this important domain.

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What is the "social policy objective" of workers' compensation?

• 06/10/14

There is no shortage of work for those of us connected with workers' compensation and occupational health & safety (OH&S).  People continue to get hurt, develop disease and even die as a ...
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What, if anything, does a “near miss” have to do with health and safety?

• 06/09/14

“Well, no one died, so what's the problem?”  I have heard lines like this before and I heard it again yesterday.  What irks me is that the people saying (or reported to have said) ...
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What percentage of the working-age population receives Disability Benefits in Canada and the US?

• 05/20/14

My post on the US Social Security Disability (SSD) issue generated a lot of email.  .  Most of the feedback I got expressed disbelief that 4.7% of the population aged 18 to 64 in the US are in ...
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Are disabled workers a significant proportion of the working-age population?

• 04/24/14

Our economy needs skilled and able workers to deliver the goods and services we need locally and provide internationally.  When a worker becomes disabled through work injury or other cause, there is one ...
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Do California and Canada have a lot in common when it comes to workers' compensation?

• 04/02/14

Do California and Canada have a lot in common when it comes to workers' compensation?   In preparing my presentation to the annual meeting of the California Workers' Compensation ...
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Can a Childhood Illness be considered an "occupational disease"?

• 03/17/14

Key  “measles outbreak” into a news search engine (or ask Siri) and you will see stories from Canada, New Zealand, the US, Syria and many other countries about recent clusters of cases in ...
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Are there systemic barriers to reporting injuries and filing claims?

• 02/17/14

A worker gets injured in a work-related incident yet there is no record of a work-related injury with the state or federal agency responsible for recording this information.  Unfortunately, this ...
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Work-related injuries can’t happen here…can they?

• 02/05/14

One of the biggest barriers to improving health and safety is the belief that work-related injury, disease or death “can't happen here”.  I'm not saying injuries are an inevitable ...
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How do I know if our Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee is effective?

• 01/20/14

The research literature reflects a consensus that effective joint occupational health and safety committees (JOHSCs) make a difference in the workplace.  Just because you have a JOHSC that meets the ...
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