Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission Review Division (WHSCRD)

Department

Authority

Remuneration

Purpose:

The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Review Division (WHSCRD) is an independent, quasi-judicial body that considers appeals arising from decisions of WorkplaceNL. The appeals process for clients of WorkplaceNL is vital to the overall service provided to employers and to workers who sustain workplace injuries in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the final level of appeal within the workers’ compensation system. 

The WHSCRD occupies an important jurisprudential role and performs a significant diversionary function in determining matters which would otherwise be heard by the Courts, placing an expectation on the review commissioner to produce written decisions that are comprehensive, unbiased, well-reasoned and complete and meet a quasi-judicial standard. Appointees to the review commissioner panel must be unbiased and must be perceived as unbiased.

Structure:

Section 22 of the Workplace Health Safety and Compensation Act (Act) provides that the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister, appoint to the review division a panel of persons to act as review commissioners. 

The panel of review commissioners cannot exceed seven members, one of which is appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council as the Chief Review Commissioner.   Presently, the Chief Review Commissioner is a full-time salaried position on the executive pay scale and also serves as the organization’s CEO with related administrative responsibilities.  Another full-time review commissioner has been approved on an annual contract and the remaining five positions are part-time review commissioners. 

All review commissioners report to the Chief Review Commissioner who reports directly to the Minister responsible for WorkplaceNL. 

Though not required, ideally, the panel of review commissioners should reflect the gender and regional representation of the Province’s population.

Competency Profile:

Each review commissioner acts independently. Therefore, each review commissioner must possess the same minimum competencies as identified below:

• superior analytical and problem solving skills
• exceptional writing, reasoning and verbal communication skill;
• sound understanding of administrative proceedings;
• in-depth understanding of and ability to interpret and apply legislation, related regulations and policies;  
• practical understanding of administrative law, the concepts of natural justice;
• knowledge and understanding of WorkplaceNL, WHSCRD and respective functional structures and mandates;
• organizational skills and abilities to manage a challenging and diverse workload;
• ability to meet performance expectations and goals and superior time management;
• ability to work both independently and in cooperation with internal and external stakeholders, while maintaining confidentiality and standards of conduct;
• attention to detail, the ability to diffuse potentially challenging situations effectively;
• ability to apply sound judgment to fairly assess cases involving issues regarding conflicting verbal and/or written evidence;
• ability to assess credibility; and
• proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Qualifications:

Candidates for review commissioner appointments should demonstrate the competencies identified above as well as the following qualifications: 

• experience in the interpretation and application of legislation or policy in a quasi-judicial setting;
• experience in tribunal, arbitral and/or panel environment;
• experience and expertise in interpreting and applying legislation;
• exposure to labour and employment, human rights or occupational health and safety law and/or experience in case file administration/management;
• related post-secondary education; and
• ability to travel to hearings throughout the Province; and
• proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Time Commitments:

Part-time review commissioners should be available to attend an eight day training program immediately following the appointment. Pending training completion, each review commissioner should also be available to hear three to five cases per month. Each oral hearing requires approximately two hours. In preparation for each hearing, a review commissioner can expect to spend two or three hours to review each claim file which contains an average of 500 pages but may contain over 2,000 pages. Following a hearing, a review commissioner can expect to spend eight to ten hours to draft, edit and finalize a decision. Some travel may also be required.

Term:

According to the Act, a review commissioner shall hold office during good behaviour for a term that the Lieutenant-Governor in Council may establish. Currently, the terms of appointments are as follows:

• Chief Review Commissioner appointed for an indeterminate period
• Full-time review commissioner appointed on a term contract
• Part-time review commissioners are appointed for a three year term