Figure 1: Allowed lost-time injury rate (provinces and territories of Canada)

Bar graph comparing lost-time injury rate for each province and territory, and for Canada overall from 2005 to 2014. In 2014 the highest lost-time injury rate is in Manitoba, with 3.17 injuries per hundred workers. The lowest lost-time injury rate is in Ontario, with 0.92 injuries per hundred workers in 2014. Canada’s overall lost-time injury rate in 2014 is 1.56 per hundred workers. Refer to table below for complete data.
Figure 1 Table
  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
NL 2.52 2.36 2.25 2.15 2.07 2.03 1.99 1.76 1.78 1.73
PE 1.42 1.35 1.37 1.35 1.33 1.21 1.28 1.35 1.22 1.39
NS 3.03 2.80 2.72 2.59 2.33 2.21 2.08 2.01 1.92 1.90
NB 1.42 1.33 1.36 1.36 1.29 1.35 1.26 1.18 1.13 1.15
QC 2.88 2.69 2.44 2.32 2.02 1.97 1.93 1.85 1.82 1.80
ON 1.79 1.61 1.53 1.45 1.20 1.15 1.05 1.01 0.95 0.92
MB 4.75 4.65 4.31 4.08 3.54 3.37 3.27 3.33 3.12 3.17
SK 3.95 3.93 3.72 3.57 3.33 3.15 2.90 2.81 2.57 2.24
AB 2.23 2.24 1.98 1.73 1.51 1.42 1.49 1.39 1.34 1.31
BC 3.09 3.12 3.06 2.96 2.35 2.27 2.33 2.34 2.30 2.27
YT 2.33 2.63 2.90 2.73 2.38 2.12 2.28 2.14 1.87 2.07
NT/NU 2.74 2.71 2.73 2.51 2.17 2.45 2.37 2.13 2.21 2.33
Canada 2.56 2.39 2.24 2.12 1.82 1.76 1.72 1.65 1.60 1.56

Source: Association of Workers Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), accompanying notes available on AWCBC website.

Figure 2: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board allowed lost-time injury claims/rates (year of injury/illness)

Bar and line graph showing Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 lost time injury rates and claims gradually declining from 2006 to 2015. Lines show that Schedule 2 lost time injury rates are consistently higher than Schedule 1 lost time injury rates. In contrast, segmented bars show that the number of Schedule 1 lost time injury claims is consistently higher than Schedule 2 lost time injury claims. The line showing Schedule 1 rates peaks in 2007 at 1.55 injuries per hundred workers, and declines to 0.85 in 2015. The line showing Schedule 2 lost time injury rates is higher than for Schedule 1 overall. Schedule 2 lost time injury rates decline from 2.59 in 2006 to 1.80 in 2015. Bars showing the total number of Schedule 1 and 2 claims peak at 83,184 in 2006 and decline to 51,570 in 2015. Refer to table below for complete data.
Figure 2 Table
  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Schedule 1 67,406 64,531 61,992 50,104 46,160 43,371 42,702 41,508 40,585 38,953
Schedule 2 15,778 16,339 16,268 14,739 14,040 13,301 12,823 12,922 13,103 12,617
Total 83,184 80,870 78,260 64,843 60,200 56,672 55,525 54,430 53,688 51,570
Schedule 1 Rate (per hundred workers) 1.61 1.55 1.51 1.27 1.15 1.05 1.01 0.95 0.92 0.85
Schedule 2 Rate (per hundred workers) 2.59 2.65 2.56 2.10 2.00 1.91 1.85 1.85 1.90 1.80

Source: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board By the Numbers 2015, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2.

Figure 3: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board allowed no lost-time injury claims/rates (year of injury/illness)

Bar and line graph showing Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 no lost-time injury rates and claims gradually declining from 2005 to 2015. Lines show that Schedule 1 no lost-time injury rates are consistently higher than Schedule 2 no lost-time injury rates. Similarly, segmented bars show that the number of Schedule 1 no lost-time injury claims is consistently higher than Schedule 2 no lost-time injury claims. The line showing Schedule 1 no-lost-time injury rates peaks in 2005 at 4.11 injuries per hundred workers, and declines to 2.36 in 2015. The line showing Schedule 2 no-lost-time injury rates is lower than for Schedule 1 overall. The Schedule 2 no lost-time injury rates decline from 3.11 in 2005 to 2.09 in 2015. Bars showing the total number of Schedule 1 and 2 no lost-time injury claims peak at 185,737 in 2005 and decline to 122,133 in 2015. Refer to table below for complete data.
Figure 3 Table
  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Schedule 1 167,382 157,487 144,489 115,340 108,660 108,954 109,648 110,120 110,196 107,504
Schedule 2 18,355 17,816 17,182 16,503 15,192 15,192 14,371 15,208 15,328 14,629
Total 185,737 169,638 161,671 131,843 123,852 123,675 124,019 125,328 125,524 122,133
Schedule 1 Rate (per hundred workers) 4.11 3.77 3.52 2.93 2.71 2.64 2.59 2.53 2.49 2.36
Schedule 2 Rate (per hundred workers) 3.11 2.93 2.70 2.36 2.16 2.12 2.18 2.18 2.22 2.09

Source: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board By the Numbers 2015, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2.

Figure 4: Traumatic fatalities (year of death)

Bar graph comparing traumatic fatalities data each year from 2006 to 2015. For each year, a pair of bars compare total Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) allowed traumatic fatalities against the total traumatic fatalities for Ontario. The highest number of WSIB allowed traumatic fatalities is 90 in 2007, while the total number of traumatic fatalities in Ontario for that year was 102. The lowest number of WSIB allowed traumatic fatalities is 61 in 2015, with 72 total traumatic fatalities in Ontario that year. Refer to table below for complete data.
Figure 4 Table
  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Schedule 1 (year of death) 74 83 60 62 63 71 64 82 64 57
Schedule 2 (year of death) 3 7 4 6 6 5 6 5 1 4
Total WSIB allowed Traumatic Fatalities (year of death) 77 90 64 68 69 76 70 87 65 61
Total Traumatic Fatalities for Ontario: Ministry of Labour and WSIB (year of death) 102 102 79 77 85 94 78 102 81 72

Source: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) By the Numbers 2015, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Day of Mourning Fatalities Report: 2006 to 2015.

Figure 5: Allowed occupational disease fatalities

Bar graph comparing allowed occupational disease fatalities data each year from 2006 to 2015. For each year, a pair of bars compare total Workplace Safety and Insurance Board allowed occupational disease fatalities by year of entitlement against the total Workplace Safety and Insurance Board allowed occupational disease fatalities by year of death for Ontario. The highest number of allowed occupational disease fatalities by year of entitlement is 301 in 2010, while the number of allowed occupational disease fatalities by year of death in Ontario for that year was 174 which is also a 10 year highest. The lowest number of allowed occupational disease fatalities by year of entitlement is 181 in 2013, with 141 allowed occupational disease fatalities by year of death in Ontario that year. Refer to table below for complete data.
Figure 5 Table
  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Schedule 1 (year of entitlement) 196 228 221 229 250 190 190 158 167 175
Schedule 2 (year of entitlement) 34 51 36 32 51 38 32 23 42 37
Total WSIB allowed Occupational Disease Fatalities (year of entitlement) 230 279 257 261 301 228 222 181 209 212
Total WSIB Allowed Occupational Disease Fatalities (year of death) 143 153 172 170 174 164 164 141 152 154

Sources: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) By the Numbers 2015, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Day of Mourning Fatalities Report: 2006 to 2015.

Figure 6: Ministry of Labour reported critical injuries and critical injury rate (year of injury)

Bar and line graph comparing data on critical injuries and critical injury rates each year from 2006 to 2015. The high for each was in 2007, with 1,270 total critical injuries, which is a critical injury rate of 21.22 per hundred thousand workers. The low for each was 2015, with 873 total critical injuries or a rate of 13.75 per hundred thousand workers. Refer to table below for complete data.
Figure 6 Table
  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Total Critical Injuries 1,150 1,270 1,194 1,166 1,104 966 1,147 1,130 1,095 873
Critical Injury Rate 19.49 21.22 19.81 19.93 18.56 15.91 18.76 18.12 17.40 13.75

Source: Ministry of Labour Data Systems 2006 to 2015 and Ministry of Labour calculation based on Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey 2006 to 2015.

Note: Critical injury rates are calculated by the Ministry of Labour based on the number of reported critical injuries divided by the number of people employed under provincial jurisdiction.

Figure 7: Traumatic and occupational disease fatality rates (year of death)

Line graph comparing data from 2006 to 2015 by year of death. The highest traumatic fatality rate was 17.29 per million workers in 2006, and the lowest was 11.34 per million workers in 2015. The highest occupational disease fatality rate was 29.26 per million workers in 2010, and the lowest was 22.61 per million workers in 2013. Refer to table below for complete data.
Figure 7 Table
  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Traumatic Fatality Rates for Ontario (per million workers): Ministry of Labour and WSIB (Year of Death) 17.29 17.04 13.11 13.16 14.29 15.48 12.76 16.36 12.87 11.34
WSIB Occupational Disease Fatality Rates (Year of Death) 24.24 25.56 28.54 29.05 29.26 27.00 26.82 22.61 24.15 24.24

Sources: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Day of Mourning Fatalities Report: 2006 to 2015 and Ministry of Labour calculation based on Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey 2006 to 2015.

Note: Fatality rates are calculated by the Ministry of Labour based on the number of reported fatalities divided by the number of people employed under provincial jurisdiction.

Figure 8: Small businesses: traumatic fatalities, allowed lost-time injury claims and employment as share of total fatalities, allowed lost-time claims and employment (schedule 1)

Line graph showing that the share of traumatic fatalities occurring in small businesses is consistently much higher than small business’s share of total employment, as well as small business’s share of allowed lost-time claims. The ten-year average for traumatic fatalities in small businesses was 63.49% of the total, while the average for lost-time claims was 29.84% of the total, and small business’s share of employment was 28.45% of the total. Refer to table below for complete data.
Figure 8 Table
  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 10 Year Average
WSIB allowed Traumatic Fatalities 67.57% 62.50% 61.67% 67.80% 71.67% 50.75% 65.63% 64.56% 71.88% 50.94% 63.49%
WSIB allowed Lost-time Claims 27.82% 27.92% 28.24% 29.07% 29.32% 29.89% 30.05% 31.52% 31.65% 32.87% 29.84%
Share of Total Employment 28.01% 28.05% 28.10% 28.33% 28.47% 28.44% 28.52% 28.77% 28.91% 28.92% 28.45%

Sources: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) data 2006 to 2015 and CANSIM table 282-0042.

Data limitations and methodology in this report

The occupational health and safety data in this report is limited:

  • Ministry of Labour enforcement data may be subject to change as a result of ongoing enforcement activities and investigation of events.
  • Statistics recorded by the Ministry of Labour and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board are not directly comparable. Each organization tracks incidents based on its organizational mandate and legislative obligations. For example, a fatality or injury that is reported to the Ministry of Labour may not be reported to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, creating differences in the number of incidents recorded.
  • Critical injuries include only those that have been reported to the ministry and not necessarily critical injuries as defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). The Ministry of Labour investigates workers covered by the OHSA. Critical injuries in the ministry’s data systems may include non-workers, as this is required to be reported. This represents data that was reported to the ministry and may not represent what actually occurred at the workplace.
  • The Ministry of Labour tracks and reports fatalities at workplaces covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This excludes death from natural causes, death of non-workers at a workplace, suicides, death as a result of a criminal act or a traffic accident (unless the OHSA is also implicated) and death from occupational exposures that occurred many years ago.
  • Some statistics may exclude certain individuals not covered under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.
  • Statistics may be affected by a lag between the date of the incident and the assessment of whether it was work-related.
  • Many factors influence workplace safety, such as societal, workforce and workplace trends. Therefore, improvements in rates of occupational illness, injury and fatality cannot be attributed solely to the activities in this report.