Overview

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development keeps a record of:

  • visits to workplaces by occupational health and safety inspectors
  • events that are reported to the ministry, including fatalities, critical injuries, complaints and work refusals.

We use this data and data from sources such as the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to help plan health and safety inspection initiatives.

Mining program: Summary

Table 1: Events in the mining program by fiscal year
Event2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
Fatalities423011
Critical injuries323226403731
Complaints104147121157136205
Work refusals515210711

Underground mines

This includes ramp or shaft (conveyance) access mines and a variety of mining methods such as bulk or narrow-vein mining.

Table 2: Events in underground mines sector by fiscal year
Event2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
Fatalities311001
Critical injuries162215111414
Complaints316544505878
Work refusals270334

Mining plants

Mining plants include mills, blast furnaces, smelters and refineries.

Table 3: Events in mining plants sector by fiscal year
Event2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
Fatalities100000
Critical injuries403733
Complaints11109352637
Work refusals030503

Open pit mines and quarries

This covers surface operations that typically involve large scale drilling, blasting, crushing, sizing and trucking.

Table 4: Events in open pit mines and quarries sector by fiscal year
Event2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
Fatalities010010
Critical injuries411741
Complaints1922161665
Work refusals021010

Sand and gravel pits

These range from small open pits to large-scale operations with hundreds of pieces of mobile equipment. Typically, these operations do not involve blasting.

Table 5: Events in sand and gravel pits sector by fiscal year
Event2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
Fatalities002000
Critical injuries112324
Complaints101414151214
Work refusals100000

Oil and natural gas

This sector is tied to both onshore and offshore locations. Offshore locations are governed by Regulation 855  – Oil and Gas, and onshore activities are governed by Regulation 854 – Mines and Mining Plants.

Table 6: Events in oil and natural gas sector by fiscal year
Event2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries000000
Complaints220100
Work refusals000000

Diamond drilling

Mineral exploration sites include surface operations that typically involve diamond drilling and bulk sampling to determine ore reserve potential.

Table 7: Events in diamond drilling sector by fiscal year
Event2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries000101
Complaints042102
Work refusals000000

Not elsewhere classified/mining

Table 8: Events in other sectors by fiscal year
Event2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries132264
Complaints841319011
Work refusals000201

Statistical notes

  • Only critical injury events reported to the ministry are included for each sector.
  • This represents data that was reported to the ministry and may not represent what actually occurred at the workplace.
  • Some events may not have been classified under a specific subsector at the time data was downloaded for this report.
  • The critical injury numbers represent critical injuries reported to the ministry and not necessarily critical injuries as defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
  • Non-workers who are critically injured may also be included in the ministry's data.
  • The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development tracks and reports fatalities at workplaces covered by the OHSA. This excludes deaths from natural causes, deaths of non-workers at a workplace, suicides, deaths as a result of a criminal act or traffic accident (unless the OHSA is also implicated) and deaths from occupational exposures that occurred many years ago.
  • Data subject to change because of inspectors' updates to the database.