Work Injury, Disease, and Fatality Statistics

Workers' compensation boards (WCB) and commissions across Canada collect information about accepted loss time injuries.

The Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) publishes these accepted lost time injury, disease, and fatality reports under the National Work Injury/Disease Statistics Program (NWISP) according to the following categories:

• Nature of injury (the type of injury or disease)
• Part of the body affected by the injury or disease
• Source of injury (immediate cause of the injury or disease)
• Event (type of incident resulting in the injury or disease, for example, "fall")
• Industry in which worker was employed at the time of the accident
• Occupation of the injured or ill worker
• Jurisdiction in which the injury, disease, or fatality occurred
• Gender (sex) and Age (in age groups)

The NWISP uses the following definitions :

• Injury or Disease: Any injury or disease resulting from a work-related event or exposure to a noxious substance. Disease, as distinct from a physical injury, results from conditions in the work environment.
• Lost Time Claim: An injury where a worker is compensated by a Board/Commission for a loss of wages following a work-related injury (or exposure to a noxious substance), or receives compensation for a permanent disability with or without any time lost in employment (NOTE: Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador do not include claims that receive compensation for a permanent disability without any time lost.)
• Fatality: A death resulting from a work-related incident (including disease) that has been accepted for compensation by a Board/Commission.

These reports do not include all workplace injuries: they only include accepted lost time and permanent disability claims.

To be included in the statistical report, the injury must have been accepted by a WCB or commission. Other examples of excluded information include:

• Injuries that were never reported to the WCB (e.g., the injury was considered minor or "first aid" only, etc.)
• Injuries, diseases, or fatalities among some work groups that are not covered by WCB or which are not related to work
• Costs of incidents
• Days or hours lost due to injury or disease Number of workers covered by WCBs
• Except for permanent disability claims, work-related injury or disease that does not involve lost time
• Case studies or reports on specific injuries or disease

If you require information that is not in the NWISP reports, AWCBC can produce customized lost time injury, disease, and fatality data on request.

Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC)
40 University Avenue, Suite 1007
Toronto ON M5J 1T1
Telephone Toll-Free: 1-855-282-9222 or 416-581-8875
Fax: 416-581-1635
E-mail: contact@awcbc.org
http://www.awcbc.org

You may also wish to contact the WCB in your jurisdiction for additional statistical information. These agencies can provide various kinds of work injury statistical reports.