Up to 5 Canadians die on the job each working day: study

Nearly five Canadians died every working day in workplace-related deaths from 1993 to 2005, an unacceptably high level, according to a study released on Tuesday.

The study, Five Deaths a Day: Workplace Fatalities in Canada, 1993-2005, says the number of workplace deaths is on the increase in Canada.

In 2005, there were 1,097 workplace deaths in Canada, up from 958 in 2004. In 1993, the total was 758. The five workplace deaths per day is based on Canadians working an average of 230 days a year.

"Canada can do much better," the study concludes.

According to the study, Newfoundland in 2005 had the highest rate of workplace deaths of all 10 provinces, with 11.7 deaths per 100,000 workers, a rate that is nearly double the national average.

The study also found that men are more likely to die on the job than women, with the incidence of workplace death 30 times higher among men than women in 2005.

The Centre for Study of Living Standards, an Ottawa-based non-profit organization that put together the study, looked at workplace fatalities from 1993 to 2005, analyzing the numbers by jurisdiction, gender, age group, industry, occupation, event, nature of injury and source of injury.

"As Canadians work on average 230 days per year, this means that there were nearly five work-related deaths per working day in this country. Workplace fatalities, unlike death in general, are in principle avoidable. Thus, any workplace death should be unacceptable. It is therefore a matter of grave concern that the number of workplace fatalities in this country is increasing, not falling," the study says.

Emphasis on worker safety

Andrew Sharpe, co-author of the study, said there is no question that the numbers of workplace deaths in Canada can be reduced through an increase in emphasis on worker safety.

"By definition, if you had a death, something went wrong —lack of proper equipment or sometimes it's just freak accident. But the more awareness, the more there can be a reduction in the number of fatalities," he said.

The study, which was done to provide an analysis of who dies on the job and why, found that the most dangerous industries in Canada are fishing and trapping, mining, quarrying and oil rigs, logging and forestry, and construction.

The study says workplace fatalities are not only highly concentrated in certain industries, they also occur more often in certain occupations than in others. In 2004, for example, the workers most at risk of dying on the job were trades, transport and equipment operators.

Workplace fatalities, as well, stem from accidents and occupational diseases, the study says.

In 2005, out of 1,097 workplace fatalities, 491 people died in accidents, while 557 died from occupational diseases. Asbestos-related deaths alone accounted for 340 deaths in 2005, the study found.

Provincial breakdown

Ina provincial breakdown of workplace deaths, the study said Ontario had the largest number of workplace deaths, with an average of 303 deaths per year from 1993 to 2005, 35.4 per cent of the country's total.

It said the number was not surprising, given the province's large population. However, Ontario's incidence rate for the period, at 5.3 deaths per 100,000 workers, is less than the national average of5.9 deaths.

Newfoundland and Labrador had by the far the highest incidence rate, with an average of 11.9 deaths per 100,000 workers for the time period. Between 1996 and 2005, there were an average of 23.8 work-related deaths in Newfoundland each year.

The provincealso had the largest increase in workplace death rates in the time period. The rate more than doubled, to 11.7 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2005from 5.7in 1993. Rates also increased in Alberta, Quebec,British Columbiaand Ontario.

However, rates declined in the other five provinces, with Nova Scotia recording the largest decline.

B.C., Saskatchewan and Alberta had the next highest incidence rates in the time period for which data was available, while P.E.I., Manitoba and N.B. had the lowest.

According to the study, occupation disease is a driving force behind an increase in the incidence rate of workplace deaths in Canada. In 2005, the rate of workplace deaths was 6.8 per 100,000 workers, a rise from 5.9 per 100,000 workers in 1993.

Occupational disease

Much of the increase can be attributed to workplace related deaths from occupational disease in the 65 years and older age group. For example,such deathsin this age group rose 172 per cent to 258 in 2004 from 95 in 1996. Data for 2005 are currently unavailable.

The study concludes that about 70 per cent of the increase in the number of workplacedeaths in Canada between 1996 and 2005isdue to asbestos. Exposure can lead to such diseases as asbestosis and mesothelioma, a malignant and generally deadly cancer whose only known cause is previous exposure to asbestos.

According to the study, asbestos exposure occurs through the inhalation of asbestos dust and fibre. Symptoms may not appear until 20 to 50 years after the exposure, which explains why the fatalities occurred among the older age groups, and why "the number of work-related deaths has not yet peaked."

"Furthermore," the report said, "Canada continues to mine, use (albeit at a much smaller scale than in the past) and export asbestos while many other … countries have implemented bans."