Report says that vehicle accidents are leading cause of workplace deaths in B.C.

Press Release from Road Safety at Work and WorkSafeBC…

Richmond, BC / February 20, 2018 – Work-related motor vehicle incidents (MVIs) account for 33 per cent of all work-related traumatic deaths in British Columbia, making it the leading cause of traumatic workplace deaths in the province.[1]

On average each year, 21 workers are killed and another 1,339 are injured and miss time from work because of work-related crashes. Three sectors account for close to three-quarters of work-related MVI injury claims from 2012 to 2016:

· The transportation and warehousing sector had 34 per cent of crashes overall. Claims from the general trucking subsector account for 14 per cent of all MVI claims.

· The service sector[2] had 26 per cent of crashes overall, with 10 per cent of all MVI claims in the healthcare and social services subsector.

· The construction sector had 10 per cent of crashes.

(Source: WorkSafeBC MVI Statistics 2012-2016)

Workers are a company’s greatest asset and employers are responsible for the safety of employees when they drive for work. Road Safety At Work Week runs March 5 – 9 and is an opportunity to make road safety a priority in all organizations.

Organizations or teams can register before March 9 at the Road Safety At Work Week webpage. Participants can choose their own road safety activity or the website has great ideas supported by useful resources.

Organizations and teams must report back by March 19 on the progress of their road safety activities to receive a Certificate of Participation and be eligible for one of three $250 prizes.

Learn more about road safety and Road Safety At Work. Visit www.roadsafetyatwork.ca or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Quotes

“Every person should make it home safely from work at the end of the day. For those who drive for work, being safe in your vehicle and on the road is an important part of worker safety. Work-related motor vehicle accidents can be prevented and I encourage all drivers to take extra care while on the road to help ensure more British Columbians return home safely every day. Let us make our province the safest place in Canada to go to work.”

BC Minister of Labour, Harry Bains 

“When workers are injured in a motor vehicle crash, they are typically more severely injured and off work longer than workers injured at work in other ways. Taking steps to reduce the risks to your drivers will help you keep your workers safer, your costs down and your vehicles/trucks on the road.”

Mark Ordeman, WorkSafeBC’s acting manager of Industry and Labour Services for transportation and occupational road safety
About Road Safety at Work

Road Safety At Work is a WorkSafeBC initiative aimed at eliminating work-related motor vehicle crashes, deaths and injuries in BC. Road Safety At Work offers free online resources and courses — as well as workshops and advisory services — to help organizations plan, implement and monitor an effective road safety program.

About WorkSafeBC

WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a board of directors that serves about 2.2 million workers and more than 215,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born from the historic compromise between B.C.’s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits.