A recurring garden maintenance route in British Columbia gets too large for one owner. A seasonal helper is booked for the next visit. That crew change is the trigger to check BC landscaping WorkSafeBC coverage before anyone starts.
Start with the people doing the work. Not the mower, contract value or number of days on site. List each working relationship and check it with WorkSafeBC.
Check BC landscaping WorkSafeBC coverage before dispatch
Write down every person or business that will work on the job. Include the owner, employees, seasonal workers, casual helpers, family members and outside businesses.
Put one working relationship beside each name:
- Owner, partner or company owner
- Employee
- Seasonal or casual worker
- Family member or friend helping with the work
- Subcontractor or independent operator
Do not put everyone under crew. The label hides the decision you need to make.
Check the current WorkSafeBC coverage requirements (opens in a new tab) for each relationship. The answer can change when you hire someone, alter the ownership structure or replace an employee with an outside business.
This is the practical test for BC landscaping WorkSafeBC coverage: who will perform the work, for which business, and under what arrangement? Write down WorkSafeBC's answer and the date you checked it.
If you are still setting up the company, use the landscaping business startup guide to keep registration, tax, insurance and operating tasks separate.
Check an owner-only landscaping business separately
Start with the legal structure. A sole proprietor working alone is not automatically covered as a worker and does not register just to cover their own work. Partners working in their partnership are also not automatically covered as workers.
A sole proprietor or partner can apply for WorkSafeBC Personal Optional Protection (opens in a new tab). Read the current eligibility terms, choose coverage from the available options and wait for WorkSafeBC to confirm it. Do not treat an application as active coverage.
An incorporated landscaping company follows a different path. A shareholder, director or officer who works for the company is treated through the company's employer coverage rather than Personal Optional Protection. Register the corporation when it has a working principal or another worker, using the current WorkSafeBC instructions.
The decision changes as soon as a sole proprietor or partnership hires a worker. Register the business before that worker starts. Review the position again when the ownership structure changes or another person joins the work.
Complete the worker check before the first shift
Employees are workers for WorkSafeBC coverage. That includes full-time, part-time, temporary, seasonal and casual employees. The number of shifts or the informal way somebody was hired does not turn an employee into an independent business.
Look at the actual arrangement. Record who sets the duties and schedule, who directs the work, who supplies the tools and equipment, and whether the person works as part of your landscaping operation. If your business hires and directs the person as an employee, complete WorkSafeBC registration (opens in a new tab) before the first shift.
For landscaping workers compensation, BC contractors should not wait for the first payroll run or site-access request. A landscaper completing WorkSafeBC registration should retain the submission, account correspondence and start record. That creates a clear BC landscaping worker coverage file before dispatch.
Check family members and informal helpers by the work they perform
A family member may load equipment, drive a truck, prune shrubs or help with cleanup. A friend may agree to work for cash for one weekend. The relationship still needs a proper check.
Record the work, payment arrangement and who directs the person on site. Give those facts to WorkSafeBC. Do not rely on labels such as volunteer, helper or family business.
The same approach applies when informal help becomes regular work. Stop and repeat the check before adding that person to recurring garden maintenance visits.
Check landscaping subcontractors before they enter the site
A hardscape installation needs an outside excavation crew. The invoice calls the crew a subcontractor, but nobody has checked its WorkSafeBC status. Fix that before the excavation starts.
An independent operator runs a business independently from yours. When status is unclear, record who controls the method and schedule, who supplies equipment, who can hire help, who carries the risk of profit or loss, whether the operator works for other customers, and whether the operator markets an independent business.
Submit those facts to WorkSafeBC for a status decision. A business number, written contract or subcontractor invoice may support the file, but none decides the working relationship by itself.
Record the subcontractor's legal business name, contact details, scope and expected work dates. Use WorkSafeBC's clearance request service (opens in a new tab) to obtain the current clearance before work starts. Save it with the subcontract, purchase order or work order.
Check again before releasing final payment as directed by WorkSafeBC. Recheck when the subcontractor changes, brings a different business into the job, alters its crew or takes on a new scope. One-off installation work and recurring maintenance can involve different arrangements.
Keep coverage checks separate from site safety
Coverage status does not make the work safe. A clearance does not replace a hazard assessment. Treat them as separate controls.
Walk the site before the crew starts and record hazards tied to the scope. Tree work needs a separate tree removal safety plan for the tree, drop zone, rigging, access and people below. Use the tree work site assessment guide to inspect and brief the job before the cut.
Build one working record for every crew and subcontractor
Keep one coverage file for the business, then attach a record for each worker and subcontractor. Make the file easy to retrieve when a property manager asks for proof before site access.
For each person or business, record:
- Full name or legal business name
- Contact details and work performed
- Working relationship and work dates
- Facts used to decide worker or independent-operator status
- Date the coverage status was checked
- WorkSafeBC correspondence or registration record
- Clearance records where required
- Payroll reports, assessment documents and payments
- Contracts, invoices and subcontract documents
- Retention date for the complete record
Check the current record-keeping instructions with WorkSafeBC (opens in a new tab) and the Canada Revenue Agency (opens in a new tab). Record the retention date that applies to each document instead of relying on an office habit. Retain payroll reports, assessment documents, payment records, contracts and clearances until the applicable date has passed.
When a property manager asks for proof, ask which current WorkSafeBC document is needed. Send that document, then record what you sent, who received it and the date. Do not substitute an old clearance or unrelated insurance certificate.
Flag scheduled routes when somebody new joins the crew. A landscaping maintenance schedule can show which properties, visits and workers are affected by the change.
Keep the coverage record beside the job record, but do not mix the two. The coverage file supports the working relationship decision. The job record covers scope, labour, materials, hazards, changes and customer approval.
Put actual WorkSafeBC costs into cost tracking
Do not invent a flat WorkSafeBC percentage for every landscaping quote. Use the classification and assessment information issued for your business.
Check the business classification and current figures with WorkSafeBC (opens in a new tab). Use the figures that apply to the business. Do not copy a figure from another contractor or carry forward an old assumption without checking it.
Take the actual assessment cost from your business records. Choose one allocation method. Put the cost into labour burden or overhead, then place it in the estimate once. Do not add it to both buckets.
After the job, post the actual cost to the same bucket and compare it with the estimate. Correct the next estimate from that result. The landscaping installation quote guide shows where labour, materials, subcontractors and business costs sit in a full-yard quote.
For the next estimate, use your actual BC landscaping WorkSafeBC coverage cost, allocate it once and reconcile the same cost after the job.