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Richmond, B.C. (Jan. 5, 2026) — B.C. employers will see no change to the average base premium rate from WorkSafeBC in 2026. For the ninth consecutive year, WorkSafeBC has set the average base rate at $1.55 per $100 of assessable payroll.

Annual base premium rates are driven by provincial injury rates, return-to-work performance and the resulting cost of claims, as well as investment returns.

Each year, the costs in some industries go up, some go down and others stay the same. In 2026, 39 per cent of employers in B.C. will experience a decrease in their industry base rate, 47 per cent will see their industry base rate increase, and 14 per cent will see no change. 

Given the economic uncertainties facing the province, WorkSafeBC made changes to the maximum increases and decreases in 2026 rates for B.C. industries, which have normally been capped at 20 per cent. For 2026, rate increases were capped at 10 per cent, while rate decreases were allowed to reach up to approximately 40 per cent. This change is intended to provide greater rate stability for B.C. employers during challenging economic times.

Maintaining rate stability through surplus funds

WorkSafeBC’s sound financial position in recent years has enabled improvements in the workers’ compensation system for injured workers, while keeping rates stable for employers.

WorkSafeBC’s rate-setting approach includes mechanisms to return surplus funds to employers when the funding level exceeds its target. In 2026, WorkSafeBC is returning an estimated $570 million of surplus funds to employers by pricing premium rates below system costs.

The average base premium rate of $1.55 in 2026 is 15 per cent less than the average cost rate of $1.83, with the difference funded by the surplus.  

Between 2019 and 2026, WorkSafeBC projects that $3 billion of surplus funds will have been returned to employers by pricing premium rates below the cost to run the workers’ compensation system.

Looking ahead

Looking at the year ahead, WorkSafeBC is continuing to see upward claim-cost pressures and a continued reduction in the surplus. If these trends continue, it could lead to a moderate increase in premium rates in the near future. WorkSafeBC will continue to closely monitor cost pressures and keep rates as stable as possible.

The preliminary rates for 2027 will be announced in July of this year.

The Workers Compensation Act requires WorkSafeBC to set premium rates annually for employers to pay for the workers' compensation system. Premiums fund the costs associated with work-related injuries or diseases, health care, wage loss, rehabilitation and administration. 

The workers’ compensation system is independently funded by employer premiums and investment returns. WorkSafeBC does not receive any funding from the provincial government.

Key facts:

  • Some of the key sectors benefiting from rate reductions this year include:
  • Sawmills (-40 per cent)
  • Framing or Residential Forming (-39.9 per cent)
  • Dairy Farming (-32.2 per cent)
  • Restaurants (-25.6 per cent)
  • Prehospital Emergency Health Care (-23.5 per cent)
  • Retirement Homes (-13.4 per cent)

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Vitsab® International AB, a global leader with over 20 years of temperature monitoring expertise, is proud to highlight Freshtag®, a color-changing smart label designed to monitor perishable foods for time and temperature at every stage, ensuring uncompromised safety and quality to the customer.

Freshtag represents a cost-effective, easy-to-integrate solution for food safety and quality management systems. At the core of the Freshtag’s engineering innovation, is its unique “Stoplight Technology,” which provides a clear, universally understood visual cue; labels remain green under safe conditions, then shift to yellow and finally to red if temperature abuse is detected according to specific product guidelines. The simple visual progression allows anyone, from culinary professionals to delivery recipients, to quickly validate food safety at a glance, regardless of language or location.

Freshtag’s are FDA, EU, HACCP, ISO9001 compliant, adhering to compliance protocols. The Freshtag system is highly versatile, suitable for use in refrigerated, frozen, or passive storage environments. With no tools or technical setup required, labels are simple to receive, store, and apply, whether in campus dining, remote services, retail settings, e-commerce packaging, or home delivery. They deliver cumulative temperature tracking consistently along the entire supply chain.

This advanced system reduces replacement orders and costly refunds by identifying when product integrity is compromised, while increasing customer confidence, satisfaction, and loyalty. The intuitive color-change technology minimizes spoilage-related losses, reinforces trust in the safety and quality of perishable goods, and helps protect profit margins even as ingredients and packaging costs fluctuate.

Current customers, from chefs and food service workers to home delivery recipients, consistently rate Freshtag highly for its ease of use and the clarity of its messaging. The system is visually validated at any stage of the food’s journey, providing instant, actionable reassurance. By empowering businesses to deliver trusted, high-quality products with visible, full-history quality monitoring, Freshtag sets a new standard for food safety and business reputation.

For more information on how Freshtag safeguards food service operations, visit www.vitsab.com.

 
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Kalamazoo, MI -Hapman, a global leader in custom bulk material handling equipment, is proud to highlight the PosiPortion® feeding system, designed to provide highly accurate, efficient, and safe handling of a wide range of bulk materials used in food processing environments. With advanced features engineered for robustness and ease of maintenance, the PosiPortion offers manufacturers enhanced operational control and reliability.

Developed to meet both gravimetric and volumetric weighing needs, the PosiPortion feeder brings increased precision to processes in the food industry. Engineered with advanced technology, it streamlines operations with pinpoint accuracy, delivering consistent, controlled performance that enhances throughput and quality across every application.

The PosiPortion is tailored to address the challenges of feeding bulk materials prone to bridging or degradation. Its flexible-wall hopper ensures dependability in flow performance, greatly reducing the risk of production interruptions. External paddle agitators maintain material quality by preventing segregation, degradation, and agglomeration, securing recipe integrity and supporting consistent product quality. These features make the PosiPortion ideal for precise dosing applications requiring consistent quality.

Built within a structural tubing frame, the PosiPortion delivers robust strength and stability, making it easy to integrate into larger process systems. Quick-coupled components enable fast disassembly and cleaning, minimizing downtime and simplifying maintenance routines for operators. Featuring high accuracy feeding capabilities, the PosiPortion ensures consistent and precise material delivery, helping maintain strict standards and process control. It handles various materials efficiently, processing fine powders to large granules with ease.

To help customers achieve peak performance, Hapman offers material testing services that identify the ideal feeder configuration for each application. With this support, operators can optimize system performance and maintain consistent, reliable throughput. The PosiPortion feeding system represents a new benchmark in precision, safety, and operational efficiency, reducing downtime, improving process control, and delivering long-term production value.

 
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Waltham, MALogic Robotics, a pioneer in autonomous, data-driven logistics solutions, highlights the Logic Pallet, the world’s first multifacility mobile robot engineered to set a new standard for logistics and material handling across industries. Logic Pallet is designed to automate and unify the movement of goods between and within facilities, delivering true end-to-end automation and supporting a fully autonomous, data-driven, and sustainable global supply chain.

Currently in production and made in America, the 48 X 40 Logic Pallet is purpose-built to handle boxed consumer goods and food, redefining industrial transport by replacing traditional pallets and forklifts entirely. With a robust payload capacity of 2,000 lb (907 kg), 160-hour battery life, and autonomous functionality from origin point to vehicle transloading, it empowers logistics operators with an unmatched level of automation, safety, and throughput.

Unlike conventional shipping pallets, the Logic Pallet is a self-driving, self-loading, and self-unloading robotic platform. It functions as an in-facility shuttle for various standard-sized  pallets, supporting automated movement to storage, pick, and retrieval positions, maximizing both warehouse density and operator productivity.

Designed for versatility, the Logic Pallet supports high-density, aisleless storage in order to deliver up to 3x the storage capacity of traditional warehouse configurations. The Logic Pallet travels at a velocity of 2.2 mph (1 m/s), ensuring timely and consistent transport of goods across facilities. Orchestrated by LINK, Logic’s dynamic AI integrated warehouse operating system, Logic Pallets optimize real-time storage and retrieval in any shaped space.

With autonomous stacking, return for reuse, and advanced self-navigation capabilities, the Logic Pallet dramatically reduces operational downtime, labor dependency, and waste. It also features a patented weight-based inventory management system for on-demand cycle counting, along with automated item recognition via Item Master to provide real-time inventory insight, reducing manual labor, and eliminating costly errors.

By fully automating functions like consolidation, deconsolidation, and cross-docking, the Logic Pallet streamlines inbound and outbound logistics, unlocking faster, safer, and more cost-efficient operations. Additionally, rapid goods-to-person shuttle functionality enables quicker picking and superior order fulfillment. With the ability to load or unload a full trailer in just five minutes, Logic boasts the fastest dock-to-stock times in the industry.

As Logic’s flagship product, and the foundation for its expanding robotic fleet, the Logic Pallet sets a new standard for scalable, full-spectrum logistics automation. It offers real-time inventory visibility, reduces manual errors, and operates with minimal human interaction, making it the ideal solution for future-ready warehouses and distribution centers.

 
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NETZSCH Pumps USA, a global leader in complex fluid handling solutions, will be exhibiting at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) 2026 taking place January 27-29 in Atlanta, GA. Visit Booth B50021, where NETZSCH will showcase NEMO® Progressing Cavity Pumps, NOTOS® Multi-Screw Pumps, and PERIPRO® Peristaltic Pumps designed specifically for poultry processing applications.

NEMO® Progressing Cavity Pumps can handle low to highly viscous product with and without solids. They are recommended for gently conveying ground meat, meat trimmings, and offal and organ solids long distances. NEMO® pumps are also an excellent choice for pumping through x-ray detectors that are used to identify and reject solids, like bone fragments, or even metals from the meat processing lines.

For conveying batters, seasonings, sauces and oils, NETZSCH offers the NOTOS® Sanitary Twin Screw Pumps. These pumps are standard in all stainless-steel construction and are available in five sizes. Standard features are easy disassembly for inspection, the ability to serve as both the process and CIP pump, CIPable mechanical seals, wide speed range up to 3600 RPM, bi-directional flow and the ability to pump entrained air. Optional features are jacketed housings, enlarged inlets and full service-in-place (FSIP®) capability.

The PERIPRO® heavy duty roller hose pump is a food grade peristaltic pump with sanitary fittings, stainless steel front cover and baseplate, and are CIPable. PERIPRO® can be an alternate pump technology to AODD pumps for transferring thickening, rehydrating, or color and flavor enhancing liquids. These pumps are available in hose sizes ranging from ½” inch to 4” inch and capacities of 0.9 to 158 GPM.

NETZSCH sanitary pumps are manufactured to comply with FDA sanitary standards, are 3-A Sanitary Standards-certified, and meet European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG) standards. They are designed for easy cleanability having polished ID surfaces to minimize areas where pathogens can develop. The pumps can all be cleaned in place (CIP), ensuring efficient and hygienic operation in poultry processing facilities.

 

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