Work-related deaths show steady dip in province, but still too common: WCB

Workplace deaths are trending downward for 2017 and the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) says it’s working with employers and industry leaders in Saskatchewan to bring the numbers down further.

As of Oct. 31, the province had recorded 22 workplace fatalities, compared to 31 in all of 2016, according to the WCB.

“It looks like there’s been a drop for the last few years, which is in some ways good news,” said Phil Germain, WCB’s vice-president of prevention and employer service. “Every fatality that we can collectively — employers, workers, ourselves — help prevent is a good thing, but the tragedy is that it’s still 22.”

Twelve of the deaths reported by the WCB were related to occupational disease; eight were attributed to traumatic injuries and motor vehicle crashes; two deaths were categorized as “other.”

The number of job-related deaths has dropped each year since 2014, when 39 deaths were recorded. Germain noted the 2017 total will likely be higher than 22, since the WCB has been made aware of up to three recent workplace deaths over the last few days.

The number of work-related injury claims has declined steadily over the past decade, but fatalities have not decreased as much. As a result, the WCB is now “actively analyzing ” the issue of workplace deaths with its provincial partners, like the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, alongside employers and unions to address the issue, Germain said.

The WCB will identify some of the high-level trends that exist around worker safety at the employer or industry level and ensure those stakeholders are aware of the issue, providing them guidance and resources on what steps they should take next, he said.

“Sometimes, they are (aware of the trends) and they’re working on it already. Sometimes they’re not and they’re going, ‘No, we weren’t. How can you help us?’ and then we’ll get that ball rolling.”

He said the WCB is examining whether there’s enough public information about the risks of failing to execute what appear to be simple measures — like ensuring fall protection is in place or respirators are functioning — or ignoring best practices when driving.

“We don’t really respect all of the risks that are going on for sometimes what ... we perceive as simple tasks, because we do it every day ... They’re complicated tasks that actually, if you do it wrong, you pay a severe price for.”

Every fatality that we can collectively — employers, workers, ourselves — help prevent is a good thing, but the tragedy is that it’s still 22.