Insurance to cover injury sustained by an insured person while engaged in UBC-approved activities is recommended
More information can be found here: https://srs.ubc.ca/insurance/insurance-programs/
In brief, anyone who is getting paid is automatically covered by WorkSafeBC. This includes anyone with a scholarship, award, or stipend. Paid graduate and undergraduate students are considered workers and are automatically covered.
For exchange students and/or unpaid undergraduates working in labs, there are two additional insurance plans:
Optional insurance
Optional insurance covers injury sustained while participating in classes, research on campus and field work, including direct travel to and from home, classes, research site and field work sites. I think this is the most common type of insurance principal investigators buy for students working in their labs. It is only $7/year/person.
https://srs.ubc.ca/insurance/insurance-programs/student-insurance-optional/
Volunteer insurance
For students volunteering in labs, there is also volunteer insurance. It is similar to the optional insurance in that it covers injury sustained by an insured person while engaged in UBC-approved activities, including direct travel to and from home. It is $4/year/person.
https://srs.ubc.ca/insurance/insurance-programs/volunteer-insurance/