How dangerous is work in Canada? estimates of job-related fatalities in 482 occupations
Article Abstract:
Canadian workers appear to be at greater risk of job-related fatalities than workers in the US and other industrialized countries. In Canada, all occupationally-related deaths are reported to local worker compensation boards (WCB), and then to the provincial WCB and finally to Labour Canada, where data are sorted into occupational files and appropriate job codes. The various provincial job codes have been aggregated to make the data collection and coding more uniform. Labour Canada and the Quebec WCB assessed job-related fatality data for 1980, 1981, 1985, and 1986. The fatality rates were calculated by dividing the total deaths for the four years of the study by the total person-years in each occupation. Extensive tables of the occupational fatality rates compiled by this study are presented. The most dangerous jobs areas in Canada, according to these data, include mining and quarrying, railroad work, forestry, logging, and construction industries. Other high-risk workers are airplane pilots, fishermen, ships' deck crewmen and officers, well and rock drillers. Higher fatality rates in Canada may be due to differences in occupational hazards, industrial structures, safety standards, reporting requirements and the definition of a job-related fatality. There appears to be no systematic relation between age, job experience, marital status, and job hazard. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1991
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Welder eye injuries
Article Abstract:
A survey at the Worker's Compensation Board (WCB) of Alberta, Canada revealed that 21 percent of all eye injury claims filed in 1985 came from welders. Previously UV radiation had been the main cause of eye injuries in these workers; however, that problem had been solved by the wearing of safety lenses. A review of 395 WCB claims revealed that 72 percent of the welders' eye injuries were caused by metal particles entering the unprotected eye, 43 percent of the injuries occurered while welders were chipping and grinding metal pieces. Three-quarters of the injuries were not related to the actual welding and thermal cutting processes; metal grinding, brushing and pounding increased risk for injury. Bystanders and helpers who were not properly protected accounted for 16 percent of the injuries. Most of the injuries sustained were reversible, with 55 percent of workers returning to work in less than two days and 95 percent in less than seven days; however, some workers had permanent visual impairment. Work safety measures should stress the importance of wearing eye protection when working with metal pieces. Goggles should be kept on while working with metal and should not be removed just because the welding torch has been extinguished.
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1989
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