Employees in long-term care, home care had the most injuries
When workers get hurt on the job in Nova Scotia, it’s taking longer to return to work than it has in recent years. The composite duration index, a measure of how long workers are off the job due to injury, was at 115 days at the end of the third quarter of 2017, up from 110 at the end of 2016, according to the province’s workers’ compensation board.
“Workplace injuries continue to take too big a toll on workers and their families, as well as workplaces and communities,” said WCB Nova Scotia CEO Stuart MacLean. “We need to maintain and strengthen our resolve to prevent injuries and support safe and timely return to work.”
There were 4,367 time-loss injuries from January to September of 2017. During the same period in 2016, there were 4,379 injuries. The injury rate for Q3, which is calculated as the number of injuries per 100 WCB-covered workers, was 1.75. That’s a slight increase from 1.72 at the end of Q2, and is mostly due to a decrease in the calculated covered workforce from July to September, WCB Nova Scotia said.
Among all industries and sectors, employees in long-term care and home care had the most injuries, usually while lifting, moving and caring for others.
“We can do better,” said MacLean, “The work being done by these sectors, in partnership with government and WCB to
develop a plan to reduce injuries, will make a big difference in coming years.”
