Current Health and Safety Statistics for Ontario

A. Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
Statistics on injuries and illnesses are collected by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). The WSIB collects this information from insured workplaces that are required under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) to report injuries and illnesses to the WSIB. The following statistics do not include injuries and illnesses from workplaces that are not covered by the WSIB.
 
    i) Injuries/Illnesses by Year of Injury
The following chart lists the number of "lost-time injuries and illnesses" and "no lost-time injuries and illnesses" on an annual basis as reported by the WSIB on an annual basis. This chart is updated monthly to reflect the changes that occur as injury and illness claims that are pending or being appealed are decided.

Lost-time injuries/illnesses are when a worker loses wages as a result of temporary or permanent work-related impairment. No lost-time injuries/illnesses are when a worker did not lose wages but incurred health care costs as a result of a work-related impairment.

Injuries/Illnesses by Year of Injury
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Allowed Lost-Time Injuries/Illnesses
104,917
108,523
102,316
99,101
95,775
Allowed No-Lost-Time Injuries/Illnesses
180,185
191,375
185,848
185,599
182,446
Total Injuries/Illnesses
285,102
299,898
288,164
284,700
278,221
Source: WSIB


B. Work-Related Deaths
 
    i) Work-Related Deaths as Reported by MOL and WSIB
The following chart lists deaths caused by traumatic injuries and other immediate causes on an annual basis as reported by both MOL and the WSIB. In the chart below:
  • Deaths investigated by the Ministry of Labour include deaths of workers from traumatic injuries and other immediate causes. The Ministry of Labour does not investigate deaths due to traffic accidents or of workers not covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
  • Deaths reported by the WSIB include deaths of workers from traumatic injuries or other immediate causes whose employers have coverage under the WSIA.
  • Both refers to deaths investigated by the Ministry of Labour where the worker also has WSIB coverage. The total below has been adjusted to take this into account.
  • Immediate causes includes such things as infectious diseases and chemical toxicity.
Deaths
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Ministry of Labour
63
68
71
63
71
WSIB
85
93
93
103
98
Both
(48)
(50)
(56)
(52)
(47)
Total deaths from traumatic injuries and other immediate causes
100
111
108
114
122
Source: Ministry of Labour and WSIB
 

    ii) Breakdown of Selected Work-Related Deaths as Reported by MOL and WSIB
Categories
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Self-employed or owner operator
8
9
9
7
17
Youth (under 25)
17
16
13
14
10
Women
5
5
8
14
5
Motor vehicle accidents (on public roads)
20
30
27
40
36
Federal jurisdiction (e.g. Canada Labour Code, Criminal Code)
14
7
5
5
11
Agriculture
3
4
1
2
3
Source: Ministry of Labour and WSIB

 
    iii) Total Work-Related Deaths
The following chart lists the total work-related deaths comprised of traumatic injuries and other immediate causes of death, as well as occupational disease. In the chart below:
  • Deaths from traumatic injuries and other immediate causes is taken from the "Total" in the table found under section i) Work-Related Deaths as Reported by MOL and the WSIB.
  • Deaths due to occupational disease are those claims allowed by the WSIB.
  • Both refers to instances investigated by MOL as an immediate cause of death, which were also allowed by the WSIB as death due to an occupational disease. The "Total" below has been adjusted to take this into account.
Please note that none of the below "deaths" include deaths of workers, who, at the time of death, were on 100% WSIB disability pensions.
 

Total Deaths
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Deaths from traumatic injuries and other immediate causes
100
111
108
114
122
Deaths due to occupational diseases (WSIB claims allowed)
134
143
166
205
202
Both
-
-
-
(1)
(3)
Total deaths
234
254
274
318
321
Source: Ministry of Labour and WSIB
 


C. Injury Rates per 100 Workers
The Ministry of Labour and the WSIB have updated the method of reporting injury rates to more accurately reflect the true lost-time injury rate in Ontario workplaces. The size of the estimated workforce, which is used to calculate the injury rate, has been adjusted. Previously, the Ministry of Labour used the total estimated number of workers in Ontario to calculate the lost-time injury rate. The estimated number of workers covered by the WSIB is now used for this calculation.

This chart is updated on a monthly basis to reflect the changes that occur as injury and illness claims that are pending or being appealed are decided.

 

1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Allowed lost-time injuries
104,917
108,523
102,316
99,101
95,775
Estimated number of workers (in millions) covered by the WSIB1
3.9
4.0
4.0
4.1
4.2
Lost-time injury rate
2.7
2.7
2.5
2.4
2.3
Source: 1 Derived from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH), Statistics Canada
  

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