Background

The Ministry of Labour 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.

Industrial program summary

Table 1: Events in the industrial program by fiscal year (April 1 – March 31)
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Complaints7,4048,6338,9619,3048,86812,236
Work refusals213159237212317299
Fatalities243228*233222
Critical injuries5808061,402*1,6671,6341,378

*Note: The total count includes incidents that fall under the Industrial program but do not have identifiable sectors.

Agricultural services

Find out what types of workplaces fall under agricultural services.

Table 2: Events in agricultural services sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities022211
Critical injuries11422232521
Complaints80988593126169
Work refusals000001

Automotive

Find out what types of workplaces fall under automotive.

Table 3: Events in automotive sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities101201
Critical injuries31459210510595
Complaints399429402429436587
Work refusals101016122010

Ceramics, glass and stone

Find out what types of workplaces fall under ceramics, glass and stone.

Table 4: Events in ceramics, glass, and stone sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities010210
Critical injuries8813181511
Complaints601039793100116
Work refusals012123

Chemical, rubber and plastics

Find out what types of workplaces fall under chemical, rubber and plastics.

Table 5: Events in chemical, rubber and plastics sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities101021
Critical injuries232239633749
Complaints222234264298306364
Work refusals5377410

Construction premises

Find out what types of workplaces fall under construction premises.

Table 6: Events in construction premises sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities123220
Critical injuries191615231516
Complaints407278258204225207
Work refusals011001

Education

Find out what types of workplaces fall under education.

Table 7: Events in education sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries69108217318274147
Complaints285289311362320458
Work refusals111224212533

Electrical and electronics

Find out what types of workplaces fall under electrical and electronics.

Table 8: Events in electrical and electronics sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities100000
Critical injuries548796
Complaints868682100105157
Work refusals011053

Farming operations

Find out what types of workplaces fall under farming operations.

Table 9: Events in farming operations sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities212322
Critical injuries4514121113
Complaints305556466193
Work refusals000000

Film and television

Find out what types of workplaces fall under film and television.

Table 10: Events in film and television sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries011587
Complaints1410712620
Work refusals110002

Fire

Find out what types of workplaces fall under fire services.

Table 11: Events in fire sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities010000
Critical injuries63119610
Complaints182123131539
Work refusals000013

Fishing sector

Find out what types of workplaces fall under the fishing sector.

Table 12: Events in fishing sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries000000
Complaints134312
Work refusals000000

Food, beverage and tobacco

Find out what types of workplaces fall under food, beverage and tobacco.

Table 13: Events in food, beverage and tobacco sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities140120
Critical injuries393669869686
Complaints465578606618558960
Work refusals4751089

Government

Find out what types of workplaces fall under government.

Table 14: Events in government sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000010
Critical injuries3652751079178
Complaints238260282700292367
Work refusals10946105612783

Industrial services

Find out what types of workplaces fall under industrial services.

Table 15: Events in industrial services sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities423030
Critical injuries3643675910295
Complaints401531621700713901
Work refusals0516109

Live performance

Find out what types of workplaces fall under live performance.

Table 16: Events in live performance sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000010
Critical injuries043230
Complaints121612181213
Work refusals010000

Logging and sawmills

Find out what types of workplaces fall under logging and sawmills.

Table 17: Events in logging and sawmills sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities337221
Critical injuries12157151617
Complaints485443585245
Work refusals012000

Office and related services

Find out what types of workplaces fall under office and related services.

Table 18: Events in office and related services sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000010
Critical injuries263465506836
Complaints400411407457498697
Work refusals59321010

Police service

Find out what types of workplaces fall under police service.

Table 19: Events in police services sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities010001
Critical injuries101618222017
Complaints112014151228
Work refusals000000

Primary metals

Find out what types of workplaces fall under primary metals.

Table 20: Events in primary metals sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities110000
Critical injuries111627363635
Complaints6984102125103103
Work refusals836847

Pulp and paper

Find out what types of workplaces fall under pulp and paper.

Table 21: Events in pulp and paper sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries7119121412
Complaints4564568375116
Work refusals132213

Restaurants

Find out what types of workplaces fall under restaurants.

Table 22: Events in restaurants sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries7172524257
Complaints531707732740704615
Work refusals010101

Retail

Find out what types of workplaces fall under retail.

Table 23: Events in retail sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities010010
Critical injuries5370135153152151
Complaints8401,0211,0441,0431,0891,886
Work refusals55021816

Textiles and printing

Find out what types of workplaces fall under textiles and printing.

Table 24: Events in textiles and printing sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000000
Critical injuries74121569
Complaints8476819786125
Work refusals100022

Tourism, hospitality and recreational services

Find out what types of workplaces fall under tourism, hospitality and recreational services.

Table 25: Events in tourism, hospitality and recreational services sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities145131
Critical injuries224362818032
Complaints308422464462436384
Work refusals4710143

Transportation

Find out what types of workplaces fall under transportation.

Table 26: Events in transportation sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities022033
Critical injuries482458848187
Complaints276304311361438573
Work refusals181533203648

Utilities

Find out what types of workplaces fall under utilities.

Table 27: Events in utilities sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000101
Critical injuries81420152524
Complaints373857434480
Work refusals233327

Vehicle sales and service

Find out what types of workplaces fall under vehicle sales and service.

Table 28: Events in vehicle sales and service sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities100010
Critical injuries71821366028
Complaints353262300334307386
Work refusals200321

Wholesalers

Find out what types of workplaces fall under wholesalers.

Table 29: Events in wholesalers sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities000012
Critical injuries253349436052
Complaints369366372385382512
Work refusals717245

Wood and metal fabrication

Find out what types of workplaces fall under wood and metal fabrication.

Table 30: Events in wood and metal fabrication sector by fiscal year
Event2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21
Fatalities433013
Critical injuries555294102137116
Complaints6917768098588171,076
Work refusals811991917

Statistical notes

  • Only critical injury events reported to the ministry are included in each sector.
  • These represent data that were 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, Training and Skills Deveopment tracks and reports fatalities at workplaces covered by the OHSA. This excludes death from natural causes, death of non-workers at a workplace, suicides, death as a result of a criminal act or traffic accident (unless the OHSA is also implicated) and death from occupational exposures that occurred many years ago.
  • Data are subject to change because of inspectors' updates to the database.