FACTS

DON'T LEARN SAFETY BY ACCIDENT

Each year in Canada approximately one million people are injured and thousands more become sick or diseased by their work. When reading statistics, it is important to recognize that each number represents a resident of Canada, who may be a part of your family, a neighbour, a work colleague, a member of on you your community groups. Each single number is or was a living, breathing and caring human being.

Here in Canada, Canadian researchers have observed upwards of 50 per cent of workplace injuries unaccounted for.


In 2013-14, a total of 126,330 orders were issued under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations. In addition to receiving orders from inspectors, workplace parties may also face prosecution under the Provincial Offences Act. Charges may be laid against workplace parties, including employers, supervisors, workers and directors of corporations. If convicted, an offender may be fined by the court and/or imprisoned. In 2013-14, the courts laid $9.31 million in fines and convicted 780 workplace parties for failing to comply with the Act and its regulations.

2013 Lost Time WSIB Claims as a percentage of total claims for the year (Ontario employers covered by WSIB: 287,797)

  • Most common work injury: sprains and strains (40%)
  • Leading cause of injury: overexertion (19%)
  • Most common injured part of body: low back (18%)
  • Most common profession where male workers lost work time to injury: Motor vehicle and transit drivers
  • Most common profession where female workers lost work time to injury: assisting occupations in support of health services
  • Most likely to report overexertion injury: males, people aged 45-49, those employed as motor vehicle and transit drivers
  • Most likely to report injury from fall on same level: females, people aged 50-54, those employed as motor vehicle and transit drivers
  • Number of workers who died in workplace accident fatalities: 82
  • Most common causes of workplace accident fatalities: motor vehicle accidents (35%), falls (16.8%) and struck by or caught in objects (11.6%)
  • Number of workers who died from occupational diseases: 158
  • Most common causes of occupational disease fatalities: cancer, including mesothelioma and lung cancer
  • Industry where employee most likely to die in workplace accident: construction, transportation, service
  • Most common gender and age of workers who died in workplace accidents: men (91.9%),those aged 45-49
  • Most workplace injury prone districts (allowed lost time claims per 10,000 employed workers):
    • Prince Edward (42.2%)
    • Dufferin (39.3%)
    • Kawartha Lakes (37.1%)
    • Lennox and Grenville (37.1%)
    • Ottawa (36.4%)
    • Toronto (35.5%)
  • Least workplace injury prone district: Huron (16.1%)
(Source: wsibstatistics.ca)

Some Good News?
Work-related injuries on decline in Ontario: WSIB stats
BY ANTONELLA ARTUSO, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF

Statistics provided by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Ontario show that time lost to employment-related accidents and injuries is on a sharp decline, leading to a freeze in employer premiums for the second year in a row... More

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