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WorkSafeBC quarterly report on workplace fatalities, serious injuries, and near misses
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"This is the first quarterly report on serious injuries and fatalities issued by WorkSafeBC,” said David Anderson, President and CEO of WorkSafeBC. “We want to ensure that there is a heightened awareness of workplace health and safety – because unfortunately we continue to see workers experiencing serious injury, illness and death during the course of their employment. This is simply unacceptable.”
In addition to the reported injuries and traumatic fatalities, there were 12 work-related deaths resulting from occupational diseases in the third quarter of 2005 (a total of 46 year-to-date). The vast majority of these workers had asbestosis or mesothelioma caused by exposures to asbestos years ago.
Fatalities
In the third quarter of 2005, almost one-third of the reported fatalities1 were caused by a worker being struck by something (a log, a tree, a piece of pipe). Four of these workers were forestry workers - a rigging slinger – a hooktender - a logging truck driver – and a faller. In addition, three of the reported fatalities resulted from motor vehicle accidents involving a logging truck or a collision with a logging truck. Forestry (including wood mills, log transport, manual falling) continues to be a high risk industry with unacceptable injury and fatality rates.
In the last quarter, there were also several fatalities that involved mobile equipment: a worker was run-over by a forklift truck – an operator of a feller buncher succumbed to crushing injuries – and the operator of a front-end loader lost control of the machine.
Other workplace deaths reported to WorkSafeBC include two electrocutions, four crushing deaths, two workers caught in machines, two fatalities in a plane crash and two in a fishing boat capsizing. A complete list of the reported fatalities with brief descriptions is attached.
Serious injuries
Serious injuries include major fractures, amputations, third-degree burns, multiple fractures and other serious spinal or head injuries. These are life-changing events. In the third quarter of 2005, there were 32 reports of serious injuries in British Columbia. These injuries resulted from a variety of events including falls from elevations, being caught in machinery, electrocution, and being crushed by machines, trees or materials.
Potential for serious injury
WorkSafeBC’s quarterly report includes statistics on “near misses” or incidents that had the potential to cause serious injury or death. “We know that every near miss could just as easily have resulted in an amputation – a head injury – or death for the workers involved,” said Anderson. “A near miss provides employers and workers with an opportunity to learn what went wrong and to prevent injury in the future.”
There were 33 near miss events in the past three months in B.C. including eight reports of near misses due to contact with an underground utility; four near misses resulting from a crane or hoist failure; four powerline contacts and three explosions.
WorkSafeBC investigations
WorkSafeBC investigates all workplace fatalities and certain other incidents involving serious injuries and near misses. The purpose of an investigation is to:
- Complete a rigorous analysis of the evidence;
- Make reasoned and evidence-based conclusions with respect to the causes and underlying factors that led to the event;
- Determine compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation;
- Provide recommendations to the employer and industry to prevent injury in future;
- Gather information to help monitor and analyze industry trends on workplace fatalities, serious injuries and diseases;
- Refer cases for prosecution or administrative penalties, when necessary.
During the course of an investigation, officers may secure the scene of an incident, interview witnesses, conduct tests of equipment, access employer records, take photographic and video representations of the scene, secure expert opinions, and examine human factors that may have played a role.
WorkSafeBC (the Workers’ Compensation Board) is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves nearly two million workers and about 179,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between B.C.'s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. The organization is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits1 Reported fatalities are adjudicated to determine whether or not they resulted in and out of the course of the worker’s employment. Some reported deaths are from natural causes.
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Donna Freeman |
Scott McCloy |
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