August 13, 2008

Interpretations of WorkSafeBC’s 2007 injury-claims statistics vary

JEAN SORENSEN

correspondent

Vancouver

WorkSafeBC 2007 statistics indicate there were fewer claims for injury accidents and survival benefits per 1,000 employees than ever recorded in the history of the construction industry.

Grant McMillan, president of the British Columbia Council of Construction Associations (COCA), hailed the record drop in rates as “excellent news”, adding that the industry would normally see an increase in claims during a spike of new entrants.

“It is really a tribute to the efforts being done by the Construction Safety Association of B.C. which has been working closely with WorkSafeBC and the construction companies, supervisors and especially the employees,” he said.

Wayne Peppard, executive director of the BC Yukon Building and Construction Trades Council, said the figures are really an indication it’s time for a public inquiry into the construction industry’s safety record and practices.

The declining figures — which have dropped since 2004 even as the industry has drawn in thousands of new workers — may be an indication of a flourishing “underground” economy, under-reporting and unreported incidents, Peppard said.

Peppard’s concerns are part of a growing trend across Canada and the U.S. concerning worker compensation board injury and death statistics.

A two-year inquiry into workplace safety and reporting of claims has been carried out by the Toronto Star in Ontario, which on June 29 published an article “Hiding injuries rewards companies” indicating that employers suppressed claims and discouraged individuals from reporting injuries, especially newly arrived immigrants.

“I would welcome an investigation similar to what occurred in the B.C. forest industry regarding safety and safety procedures,” Peppard said.

The Forest Safety Task Force was established by Minister of Skills Development and Labor Bruce Graham in July 2003 to report on rates of death and serious injury in the B.C. forest industry.

Peppard said the nature of the forest industry has become one of sub-contracting as large companies shed their workforces.

“That’s really us,” he said of the construction sector.

And, with sub-contracting comes single-man companies that do not have to register with WorkSafeBC or smaller companies, which make a deal to support an injured worker while he is off but do not report the incident.

The underground economy also involves those companies who knowingly try to escape without registering with WorkSafeBC.

Statistics released from WorkSafeBC indicate that for 1997 the rate per thousand of 8.5, in 1998-7.8, in 1999-7.6, in 2000-7.3, in 2001-7.3, in 2002-6.6, in 2003-6.2, in 2004-6.5, in 2005-6.4, in 2006-6.4, and in 2007-6.1.

The figure for 2007 is the lowest recorded rate behind that of 2003 of 6.2.

However, collectively where the number of individuals in the construction industry have increased 58.3 percent from 1997 to 2007, the number of claims has also increased but only by 22.5 per cent.

“But, before we begin congratulating ourselves, there are still a lot of employees being injured and there’s a lot to be done,” Peppard said, as the claims figure for 2007 now stands at 9,780 for 160,000 employees.

However, McMillan stands behind the numbers.

He was formerly employed by WorkSafeBC and said that the data collected by the organization is highly reliable.

He credits the COR program as a big factor in dropping rates because “it is starting to change the whole safety culture.”

McMillan said that COR participating companies, which are able to get a 15 per cent rebate from WorkSafeBC, are seeing that it makes good business sense.

McMillan said that as he has traveled throughout the province and visited construction sites, he has noticed an increase in prevention programs and, in areas such as falls where many accidents occur, there is more attention to providing fall protection.

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