Sprains and strains most common, followed by cuts and fractures
About 630,000 Canadians, or one-quarter of the workforce, were injured at work in 2003, according to a new Statistics Canada study.
The study, Work Injuries, used data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey to analyze on-the-job injuries.
The survey estimated that about 460,000 men, or five per cent of the male workforce, had suffered an on-the-job injury, compared with 170,000 women, or two per cent of the female workforce. This amounted to an overall workplace injury rate of four per cent.
Blue-collar jobs more risky than white-collar
Injuries were more common in blue-collar jobs than they were in white-collar jobs.
Nearly one worker in 10 (nine per cent) in trades, transport and equipment operation sustained an on-the-job injury. This was more than four times the rate of two per cent among people employed in white-collar occupations, such as business, finance, administration, education or religion.
Also above the national average (four per cent) were injury rates in processing or manufacturing occupations (7.2 per cent) and primary industries (6.6 per cent). Among women, the likelihood of injury was also higher than average for sales and service workers.
Among the workers at highest risk were machinists and metal formers and shapers, 13 per cent of whom suffered at least one work-related injury in 2003.
Hand injuries most common
Nearly 28 per cent of all work-related injuries in 2003 involved the hand, followed by the lower back (16 per cent). Hand injuries accounted for one-third of injuries to sales and service workers, while for white-collar workers, a lower-back injury was reported most often.
The most frequent type of occupational injury was a sprain or strain, followed by cuts, then fractures. Sprains or strains were more common among white-collar workers than among workers overall.
Age and hours worked affected risk for men
Younger workers are more at risk for injury with about six per cent of men aged 18 to 34 suffering a work-related injury. This rate declined to 5.4 per cent for men aged 35 to 44. At older ages, the risk of work injury declined even more.
Long hours also took a toll. The odds of injury were 40 per cent higher for men who worked 45 to 79 hours a week than they were for those who worked less than 35 hours a week. The odds of injury were nearly double for those working 80 or more hours a week.
For women, those who worked in jobs they perceived as being "extremely" stressful experienced nearly three times the odds of injury on the job, compared with women who perceived less work stress. This was the case even when personal life stress was taken into account.
As well, women who held more than one job had higher odds of sustaining a work-related injury than did those who held one job. Obese women had nearly twice the odds of being injured at work, compared with those whose weight was in the normal range, a relationship that did not emerge among men.
The study, Work Injuries, used data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey to analyze on-the-job injuries.
The survey estimated that about 460,000 men, or five per cent of the male workforce, had suffered an on-the-job injury, compared with 170,000 women, or two per cent of the female workforce. This amounted to an overall workplace injury rate of four per cent.
Blue-collar jobs more risky than white-collar
Injuries were more common in blue-collar jobs than they were in white-collar jobs.
Nearly one worker in 10 (nine per cent) in trades, transport and equipment operation sustained an on-the-job injury. This was more than four times the rate of two per cent among people employed in white-collar occupations, such as business, finance, administration, education or religion.
Also above the national average (four per cent) were injury rates in processing or manufacturing occupations (7.2 per cent) and primary industries (6.6 per cent). Among women, the likelihood of injury was also higher than average for sales and service workers.
Among the workers at highest risk were machinists and metal formers and shapers, 13 per cent of whom suffered at least one work-related injury in 2003.
Hand injuries most common
Nearly 28 per cent of all work-related injuries in 2003 involved the hand, followed by the lower back (16 per cent). Hand injuries accounted for one-third of injuries to sales and service workers, while for white-collar workers, a lower-back injury was reported most often.
The most frequent type of occupational injury was a sprain or strain, followed by cuts, then fractures. Sprains or strains were more common among white-collar workers than among workers overall.
Age and hours worked affected risk for men
Younger workers are more at risk for injury with about six per cent of men aged 18 to 34 suffering a work-related injury. This rate declined to 5.4 per cent for men aged 35 to 44. At older ages, the risk of work injury declined even more.
Long hours also took a toll. The odds of injury were 40 per cent higher for men who worked 45 to 79 hours a week than they were for those who worked less than 35 hours a week. The odds of injury were nearly double for those working 80 or more hours a week.
For women, those who worked in jobs they perceived as being "extremely" stressful experienced nearly three times the odds of injury on the job, compared with women who perceived less work stress. This was the case even when personal life stress was taken into account.
As well, women who held more than one job had higher odds of sustaining a work-related injury than did those who held one job. Obese women had nearly twice the odds of being injured at work, compared with those whose weight was in the normal range, a relationship that did not emerge among men.
