Saskatchewan has one of the highest workplace injury rates in Canada. In 2003, almost 5% of our workers, 15,000 in total, suffered an injury serious enough to be off the job.

Employers, workers and agencies committed to workplace safety are renewing their efforts to create healthier and safer work conditions. In September 2003, the provincial Action Plan outlined five effective strategies to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. In recent months, there have been some modest improvements in Saskatchewan injury rates.

Let's consider five reasons WHY taking action is so important by looking at what's happened in Saskatchewan workplaces over the last five years.

1. 127 workers killed on the job - or from the job

* 49 workers died from injuries on the job, such as falls
* 41 workers killed from motor vehicle crashes while working
* 37 workers died from work-related health problems, such as cancer and asbestosis

2. 2,234 workers permanently impaired from workplace injuries

3. 73,598 workers injured seriously enough to be off the job

4. 1,878,877 workdays lost from workplace injuries and illnesses

5. $1,017 million dollars in compensation claims alone

The above statistics do not include the work-related fatalities and injuries on Saskatchewan farms and ranches not covered by the Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board (WCB). A future Action Update will focus on what's happening in Saskatchewan's most hazardous sector.

Note: The fatality information is based on WCB data from the last five years of the ‘Day of Mourning' periods - April 29, 2000 to April 28, 2005; other statistics are from the 2004 WCB Annual Report for the 2000-2004 period.