The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) has released the first report in its Industry Profile series, which examines an industry sector in California’s workers’ compensation system and provides insights into key characteristics and cost drivers in the industry. The first report in this series gives a comprehensive overview of the restaurant industry in California.

The new report is available in the Research section of the WCIRB website and at the following link:

• WCIRB Industry Profile: Restaurants

Key findings in the report include:

• The restaurant industry is one of the largest in California, with 52,000 workers’ compensation policies involving restaurant operations in Classifications 9079(1), Restaurants or Taverns, and 9079(2), Concessionaries, and about 10,000 policies involving operations in Classifications 8078(1), Sandwich Shops, 8078(2), Beverage Preparation Shops, and 8078(3), Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt Shops. These classifications generate more than 7 percent of all California workers’ compensation insurance premiums.
• The advisory pure premium rates approved by the Insurance Commissioner for Classifications 9079 and 8078 have, with few exceptions, been higher than the statewide average, driven by higher claim frequency in the restaurant industry.
• The restaurant industry is most concentrated in the Bay Area, Los Angeles Basin and San Diego areas.
• Classification 9079 encompasses various segments, including counter service restaurants, bars and taverns and other restaurants, predominantly sit-down restaurants with waitstaff. Counter service restaurants with long hours, which tend to be fast food chain restaurants, have higher claim frequency than other types of restaurant operations.

WCIRB Research Forum Webinar

WCIRB Industry Profile: Restaurants
Thursday, December 2, 2021, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM PT
Learn the operational characteristics, workers' compensation claim cost patterns and key cost drivers of the restaurant industry in California during this webinar that highlights the new WCIRB Industry Profile: Restaurants report. This webinar will provide insights to help you better understand the dynamics of this important industry from a workers’ compensation perspective.
REGISTER

For those unable to attend the live webinar, a recording will be posted in the Research section of the WCIRB website following the event.