Workplace accidents take toll
Although certain categories of workers are being identified as “essential” during COVID -19 measures, all workers are of value.
Coronavirus shutdowns are spotlighting just how important every worker is – and that it is critical for employers, government legislation and labour organizations to do everything possible to protect the health, safety and lives of workers, whether it is business as usual or during a pandemic.
“Our system is reactive, meaning tragedy happens - and then we raise standards. A proactive approach at all levels would seek to identify and eliminate hazards, lowering exposure levels to prevent tragedy,” says Mike Jee, the Windsor-essex Day of Mourning committee chair and Unifor Local 195’s health and safety chair.
That there is much yet to be done is proved by the 951 Canadians who lost their lives due to their work in 2017, the most current statistical count.
According to the 2018 Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s Statistical Report, “Over the past 10 years, injury rates in most of the provinces and territories have gone down….ontario currently has the lowest injury rate in Canada, while the WSIB and the other compensation boards across Canada continue improving overall health and safety in the workplace.”
This data gives activists in the labour movement pause. Year to year, “the numbers do not change much and the WSIB stats are not an accurate account of the true numbers as not all injuries result in immediate medical attention, claims are abandoned and denied or held up for years in appeals. Workers with occupational disease claims often pass away long after the exposure. Some injured workers become so despondent after trying to secure benefits, they die by suicide,” Jee says.
Many workplace cases don’t even make the count.
The authors of the eyebrow-raising Work-related Death in Canada report released in 2018 estimate workplace deaths actually number 10 times more than officially tallied, adding up to 10,000 to 13,000 deaths annually.
Led by Steven Bittle, an associate criminology professor at the University of Ottawa, the research factors people who died from occupational diseases or cancers that weren’t officially attributed to their working conditions. It also includes domestic helpers, banking employees, farmers and other people exempt from the public workers’ compensation system.
Seeing their colleagues suffering negatively impacts co-workers.
“If you look around your workplace, you won’t have to look very far before you see someone showing early signs of injury. A bottle of ibuprofen, a brace, rubbing their arm or shoulder, a limp,” Jee says. “The workplace lunchroom echoing with conversations about remedies for the aches and pains that come with the job. Workers taking personal time or sick days to recoup.”
He adds, “After years of cumulative damage, most workers will take sick leave to have joints repaired because it is easier than going through WSIB. Their doctor writes them off for the time required for treatment. Sometimes, there are some restricted duties before and after, without the cause being identified or addressed. These are known as gradual onset injuries. Sudden (acute) onset injuries happen quickly and in most cases are reported. The root cause of the accident is often put on the worker, listed as ‘distracted or rushing.’ In serious cases, the Ministry of Labour is notified, leading to a more accurate account and corrective actions are required or ordered.”
Jee says when workstations and equipment are designed or purchased, safety is often not considered. “A lot of times workers say this is the way we have always done it and accept that. Over time, these things cause or contribute to the injury. Going home to medicate or rest becomes part of the routine and workers’ home life is impacted,” he says.
“Worker committee representatives can submit requests for improvements, but if there isn’t an immediate safety risk, the company might tell them there is no data to support or justify the recommendation. This leads to workers feeling fearful, helpless or hopeless.”
When a worker files a WSIB claim, “it is heavily scrutinized and there is significant pressure to return to work with restrictions before the worker feels able to. If they decline an offer to return to work, there is a chance they will not be compensated. A lot of claims are consequently abandoned.”
By law, most companies have to have a health and safety committee and maintain minimum standards, Jee explains. “Depending on how often they meet and the level of cooperation, recommendations can take almost four months to be addressed. If a remedy is agreed upon, it can take planning and extra time to put the solution in place. All of this puts a heavy toll on the workers and the worker representatives.”
The National Day of Mourning, observed locally at noon on Tuesday, April 28, provides a time to pause and reflect on the value of workers and honour those who have suffered injury, illness or loss of life as a consequence of their livelihood.
Organized by the Windsor and District Labour Council, the commemorative public event gathers together local workers, families, unions, labour organizations, politicians, supporters, community partners and employers. The Day of Mourning serves as a reminder that there is much more to be done to protect workers and preserve their lives.
The Windsor and District Labour Council would like to see numerous measures put in place to help all workers get home safely.
“Ministry of Labour inspections need to increase across all sectors,” Jee says. “It has been reported that long-term healthcare working conditions contributed to the spread of COVID-19. Inspections of the facilities would ensure safe working conditions for the frontline essential workers and the safety of the residents.”
Jee has concerns regarding the “enormous caseload” of the Office of the Worker Adviser, an independent agency of the Ontario Ministry of Labour. It provides free, confidential services in workplace insurance matters and on occupational health and safety reprisal issues to non-unionized injured workers and their survivors.
“Deadlines are often passed or paperwork is lacking or incomplete by the time workers get to meet with the OWA. In union shops, the executive often help with claims, but find themselves in similar situations. We would like to see companies have a dedicated, trained WSIB worker rep in all workplaces helping workers with their claims at the early stages. This would reduce the number of denied and abandoned claims, and lead to more accurate statistics.”
Another issue is “the significant funding cut to Legal Aid. It has been detrimental to the assistance that injured workers desperately need. We would like to see the Ontario government reverse that decision and restore the funds,” Jee says.
Observing that “custodial sentencing for companies and their directors where workplace fatalities occur” might make worker safety a higher priority, Jee finds, “the laws have been on the books but are not often strictly enforced.”
As the National Day of Mourning points out, an injury to one is an injury to all. Jee says, “It is every worker’s right to get home safely.”