Alberta's workplace injury rate hits record low: Province

Fewer people were hurt on the job last year in Alberta, as the workplace injury rate hit a record low, according to the province.

The disabling injury claim rate decreased to 3.09 per 100 full-time jobs in 2009, down from 3.63 per 100 in 2008. This figure includes injured workers who can’t work their next shift (lost time) or have to be placed on modified work to accommodate their injuries.

Injuries down in major industry sectors

Lost-time claim rates were down across all major industry sectors, with the manufacturing, processing and packaging and the mining and petroleum development sectors experiencing the biggest drops.

The provincial lost-time claim rate for 2009 was 1.69 per 100 full-time jobs, down almost 10 per cent from the previous year.

Fatalities decline

Alberta’s fatality rate decreased by 28.5 per cent to 71 fatalities per million full-time jobs in 2009.

There were 110 fatalities in the province last year: 49 were occupational disease, 41 were workplace incidents and 20 were motor vehicle accidents.

“We’ve made good progress reducing workplace injuries, but we can still do better,” said Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Employment and Immigration. “Behind the numbers… are thousands of Alberta families whose lives have been changed by a workplace accident.”

By the numbers

Lost-time claim rate

Alberta’s lost-time claim rate declined 11.5 per cent from 2007 to 2008, and a further 9.8 per cent from 2008 to 2009. To put the recent numbers in context historically, the rate in 1991 was 4.13 and in 2001 it was 3.13.

Disabling injury claim rate

Alberta’s disabling injury claim rate declined 6.3 per cent from 2007 to 2008, and a further 15 per cent from 2008 to 2009.