Study: Work Injuries

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An estimated 630,000 Canadians – nearly three-quarters of them men and nearly three-quarters employed in blue-collar occupations – sustained at least one non-fatal activity-limiting injury at work in 2003, according to a new study.

The study, published today in Health Reports, used data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey to analyse on-the-job injuries and examine the relationships between such injuries and various aspects of an individual's work and personal life.

The survey estimated that about 460,000 men, or 5% of the male workforce, had suffered an on-the-job injury, compared with 170,000 women, or 2% of the female workforce. This amounted to an overall workplace injury rate of 4%.

Workplace injuries represented a substantial share of all injuries. Among employed adults who experienced at least one activity-limiting injury in 2003, 28% said their most serious injury (serious enough to limit their normal activities) occurred at work.

Blue-collar jobs more risky than white-collar

Not surprisingly, injuries were more common in "blue-collar" jobs than they were in "white-collar" jobs.

Nearly 1 worker in 10 (9%) in trades, transport and equipment operation sustained an on-the-job injury. This was more than four times the rate of 2% among people employed in white-collar occupations, such as business, finance, administration, education or religion.

Also above the national average (4%) were injury rates in processing or manufacturing occupations (7.2%) and primary industries (6.6%). 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% of whom suffered at least one work-related injury in 2003.

In all job categories, men were more likely than women to sustain an injury. In the blue-collar sector, men experienced nearly double the rates of injury sustained by women. However, in some white-collar fields, including management, business and finance, and health, men also sustained injuries at twice the rate of their female co-workers.

Shiftwork and jobs requiring strenuous effort (both hallmarks of blue-collar industries) were associated with an increased risk of injury for workers.

Nearly 3 in 10 work-related injuries were to hands

Nearly 28% of all work-related injuries in 2003 involved the hand, followed by the lower back (16%). 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.

Fractures accounted for 19% of injuries sustained by those working in agriculture, forestry, and other primary industries, significantly above the 11% share for all workers.

Burns or scalds made up almost 15% of injuries sustained by sales and service workers, significantly higher than in any other occupational group. Within the sales and service group, chefs and cooks were at a disproportionately higher risk of injury.

Overexertion or strenuous movements and falls accounted for nearly half of all work injuries.

Age, income and hours worked affected risk for men

About 6% of men aged 18 to 34 suffered a work-related injury, compared with 5.4% of men aged 35 to 44, the next highest-risk group. At older ages, the risk of work injury declined even more.

Men who earned less than $60,000 a year were more likely to sustain injuries on the job than were those who earned $60,000 or more.

Long hours also took a toll. The odds of injury were 40% 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.

The chance of injury among women was not related to age, income or hours worked. On the other hand, women 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.

Among men, no relationship emerged between work injury and the number of jobs or the level of work stress.

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. White male workers, meanwhile, experienced a higher likelihood of work injuries than did non-white male workers, a difference not apparent between white and non-white women.

Smoking, chronic conditions associated with increased risk

Individuals who smoked on a daily basis had a higher likelihood of work injury compared with occasional or non-smokers. For women, the proportion of daily smokers injured (3.5%) was nearly double that of occasional or non-smoking women (1.9%).

Workers who reported three or more chronic conditions were more likely to have had a work injury than were those with fewer or no conditions. Migraine, arthritis and multiple chemical sensitivities were among the specific conditions associated with the risk of injury.

Majority sought treatment

Two-thirds of workers who sustained an injury on the job sought treatment.

Hospital emergency rooms were by far the most common facilities where injuries were treated (51%), followed by doctors' offices (21%) and clinics (20%).

The article, "Work injuries", which is part of today's Health Reports (82-003-XWE, free) online release, is now available from the Publications module of our website.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this article, contact Kathryn Wilkins (613-951-1769; kathryn.wilkins@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis and Measurement Group.

Also released today is the article "Smoking-prevalence, bans and exposure to second-hand smoke", based on a previous report that was published online June 16, 2006 as part of the Your Community, Your Health: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) series. For more information about this article, contact Margot Shields (613-951-4177; margot.shields@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis and Measurement Group.

For more information about Health Reports, contact Christine Wright (613-951-1765; christine.wright@statcan.gc.ca).