By the Numbers: Why Accident Prevention is Important

The most recent work-related fatality information reinforces the need for an ongoing focus on incident and injury prevention.

Canada

• Canadian workers compensation boards reported that 904 workers died due to work-related causes in 2016.
• Among provinces with over 100,000 workers, Saskatchewan’s five-year average injury fatality rate ranks highest (6.3 deaths per 100,000 workers) followed by Alberta (3.8 per 100,000) and Newfoundland and Labrador (3.2 per 100,000).
• Since 2011, most jurisdictions have experienced declining injury fatality rates. However, a comparison of the average 2011-2013 rate to the average 2014-2016 rate revealed an 83% increase in New Brunswick’s rate and a 32% increase in Newfoundland and Labrador’s rate. https://www.uregina.ca/business/faculty-staff/faculty/file_download/2018-Report-on-Workplace-Fatalities-and-Injuries.pdf

U.S.

• 5,190 workers were killed on the job in 2016 (3.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) — on average, more than 99 a week or more than 14 deaths every day.
• Out of 4,693 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2016, 991 or 21.1% were in construction — that is, one in five worker deaths last year were in construction.
• Overdoses from the non-medical use of drugs or alcohol while on the job increased from 165 in 2015 to 217 in 2016, a 32-percent increase. Overdose fatalities have increased by at least 25 percent annually since 2012.