WCB, WSHD Unveil First Ever Report on Illnesses and Injuries in the Manitoba Construction Sector

The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) and the Government of Manitoba's Workplace Safety and Health Division (WSHD) unveiled the first ever Injuries and Illnesses in the Manitoba Construction Sector report today, drawing attention to the need for increased injury prevention activity in this sector.

The report provides a comprehensive review of injuries and illnesses in Manitoba’s construction sector for the period 2000 through 2005. Though the time loss injury rate for the province decreased by 21 percent from 2000 to 2005, the time loss injury rate for the construction sector decreased by only four percent for that same period of time. The time loss injury rate for the construction sector has been on the rise since 2004.

“Strong activity in Manitoba’s construction sector means more workers are entering this area of our workforce each day,” says Minister of Labour and Immigration Nancy Allan. “This means we must remain diligent and re-visit our responsibilities on a daily basis in order to protect all workers’ safety and health on the job.”

The WCB and WSHD are taking action to address the injury increase in the construction sector.

WSHD added Safety and Health Officers to increase the number of construction site inspections. To strengthen prevention efforts in the construction sector, workplace safety and health regulations have been modernized so they provide clear direction for all workplace parties in specific areas such as confined space entry and fall protection.

The WCB teamed up with industry safety associations to create the SAFE on Site outreach program to deliver more safety messages at construction sites.The WCB also put in place the Incentive Plan in Construction, a pilot program that includes a five percent reduction in WCB assessment rates for construction firms that earn safety association accreditation. Safety accreditation is offered by the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association's Safety Health and Environment Program (SHEP) and the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba (CSAM).

“At the WCB we say if you’re hurt at work, we’re here to help,” says WCB Chairperson Tom Farrell. “The fact is, though, we are here to help you not get hurt at work. That’s why we’ve put our money where our mouth is with the Incentive Plan. We want safety to be an important part of being competitive in the construction sector.”

SAFE Work partners in construction are also doing their part to reduce injuries in this sector. Today’s report was unveiled at the Manitoba Construction Conference, Canada’s second largest safety, health and environment conference, co-hosted by SHEP and CSAM. The conference is just one part of the construction industry’s effort to meet the need for increased education and training, a key component of injury prevention, for workers and employers in the construction sector.

The Manitoba WCB is a mutual injury and disability insurance agency governed by a Board of Directors representative of employers, workers and the public interest and funded by employer premiums. The WCB insures approximately 70 percent of the workers in Manitoba, employed by over 24,000 registered employers.

Contact:

Warren Preece, Director of Communications
WCB Manitoba
(204) 954-4113

website:  www.wcb.mb.ca

Executive Summary

Injuries and Illnesses in the ManitobaConstruction Sector:2000 - 2005

The report on injuries and illnesses in Manitoba’s construction industry is a joint initiative of the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba and the Workplace Safety and Health Division of Manitoba Labour and Immigration. It is one component of the SAFE Work strategy to foster a strong workplace safety and health culture in Manitoba. 

This report provides a comprehensive review of injuries and illnesses in Manitoba’s construction sector for the period 2000 through 2005. Data has been provided on trends in numbers and types of both time loss and no time loss injuries, injury rates, fatalities and characteristics of injured workers.

Major highlights of the Report are:

·         Following an initial 17% drop in the number of injuries between 2000 and 2001, construction injuries rose by 23% from 2001 to 2005. Heavy construction had a 30% increase over this period while the number of injuries in the building construction subsector grew by 21%. Over the 2000 to 2005 period, the number of accepted work related injuries in Manitoba declined 12%.

·         After a drop of 13% from 2000 to 2001, the construction industry’s time loss injury rate fluctuated over the period from 2001 to 2005. There was a reduction in the rate of 4% from 2000 to 2005. Over this period of time, Manitoba’s time loss injury rate for all industry sectors declined 21%. 

·         About one-fifth of construction industry injuries are incurred by youth.

·         From 2000 to 2005, 35 construction workers suffered a work-related
fatality, representing 17% of all occupational fatalities in Manitoba since 2000. Half of these deaths were due to occupational diseases – primarily due to asbestos exposure – in the building construction subsector.