WCB reports increases in workplace injuries, fatalities

The number of workplace injuries and fatalities in Saskatchewan increased in 2018 over the previous year.

According to figures released Thursday by the Saskatchewan Worker’s Compensation Board, there were 48 workplace fatalities in 2018. That marked a 78-per-cent increase over 2017, when there were 27 such deaths.

The 2017 total was the lowest the WCB had recorded in 15 years. The average over that time was 37.

“This is devastating for our province,” WCB CEO Peter Federko said in a media release. “Behind every statistic is a loved one who will never come home to their family.

“The impact of losing someone dear to us is devastating. We’ve embarked on several research projects with the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan to understand more about our workplace fatalities.”

The WCB noted the leading causes of fatalities in 2018 were from occupational diseases and motor vehicle accidents.

The board also reported that the workplace total injury rate in 2018 was 5.44 per 100 workers, an increase of 3.6 per cent from 2017. The time loss injury rate increased to 1.99 per 100 workers and total claims accepted went up to 22,371 in 2018.

However, 88 per cent of Saskatchewan employers didn’t report any injuries during the year.

“Keeping our workplaces safe is a shared responsibility,” WCB chairperson Gord Dobrowolsky said in the release. “We can only achieve Mission: Zero when everyone works together.

“We will keep working with employers, workers and partners until we achieve zero injuries and zero fatalities.”