Overview of injury data

Lost-time injuries are injuries that occur in the workplace that result in the worker having to miss work.

According to data from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), the lost-time injury (LTI) rate in the health care sector was 2.46 workers, per 100 workers in 2023.

The number of allowed claims during 2023 decreased considerably and this reflects the reduction in the number of claims made in the sector related to COVID-19 occupational illnesses.

Table 1 shows the number of LTIs, the LTI frequency rate, and the number of no lost-time injuries (NLTIs) for Ontario’s health care sector from 2019–2023.

Table 1: Ontario WSIB allowed claims, health care and social assistance, 2019-2023
Statistics20192020202120222023
Total number of LTIs8,40915,13815,67024,83214,650
LTI frequency rate1.553.873.594.432.46
Total number of NLTIs15,90912,64412,37411,20112,064

Source:Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Enterprise Information Warehouse (EIW) Employer Experience Schema and Claim Cost Analysis Schema, June 2021 data snapshot for 2019 and 2020 and June 2024 data snapshot for 2021 to 2023, courtesy of Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA).

The number of workers in the health care sector is generally increasing. Table 2 contains data from Statistics Canada that shows that the labour force in the health care and social assistance sector is increasing.

Table 2: Ontario labour force - health care and social assistance sector
Year20192020202120222023
Workforce estimates905,300891,100920,200949,500985,600

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0023-01 - Labour force characteristics by industry, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) by sex and age group (Accessed: May 3, 2024).

Table 3 shows how the LTI counts have changed for the most common occupational health and safety hazards in the health care sector from 2019–2023.

Table 3: Health care Schedule 1 allowed LTI counts by injury type
Injury type20192020202120222023
Exposures1,1578,6567,70816,3255,292
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD): other1,7001,4371,8411,8421,873
Musculoskeletal disorders(MSD): client handling1,3151,4321,7291,8601,737
Falls1,6421,2801,4541,7631,563
Workplace violence1,1969931,1961,3011,563
Contact with/struck by object8367049511,0041,001
Motor vehicle incidents (MVI)17291107135151
Machinery716696114109
Transportation2616212617
Fires and explosions23022
Not coded2923205674601,342

Source: WSIB EIW Claim Cost Analysis Schema, rolling June 2019 and 2020 data snapshots for 2019 and 2020 and June 2024 data snapshot for 2021 to 2023, courtesy of Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA).

From the data shown it is clear that “exposures” has seen the most dramatic decrease in the past two years (2022 and 2023) which reflects the COVID-19 pandemic recovery and the decrease in exposure to COVID-19 and related occupational illness claims.

Health care 2023 statistical breakdown

Health and community care services are provided in a variety of settings. The health care sector is comprised of establishments that provide the following services:

  • health care by diagnosis and treatment
  • residential care for medical and social reasons
  • social assistance, such as counselling and other community care services

The data presented below is based on the new WSIB updated classification structure using a North American Industry Classification System (NAICs) framework, which came into effect January 2020. The following data below aligns with this new classification NAICs mapping.

  • D3: Hospitals
  • N1: Ambulatory Care - includes workplaces in the following sectors:
    • Home health care services
    • Professional health care offices and agencies
    • Diagnostic laboratories
  • N2: Nursing and Residential Care Facilities includes workplaces in the following sectors:
    • Nursing care facilities (Long-term care homes)
    • Community care facilities for elderly (retirement homes)
    • Supported group living residences and other facilities (group homes)
  • N3: Social Assistance includes workplaces in the following sectors:
    • Services for elderly and persons with disabilities
    • Vocational rehabilitation

Table 4 shows WSIB lost-time injury counts based on allowed claims in 2023 for each of the divisions which make up the health and social assistance sectors.

Table 4: Health care sector LTI counts by injury type, 2023
Injury typeD3
Hospitals
N1
Ambulatory care
N2
Nursing/
Residential
care
N3
Social Assistance
Sector total
Exposures8043363,9312215,292
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD): other6623775592751,873
Musculoskeletaldisorders (MSD): client handling703331674291,737
Falls3933424953331,563
Workplace violence5641425782791,563
Contact with/struck by object3901153211751,001
Motor vehicle incidents (MVI)6871543151
Machinery668278109
Transportation473317
Fires and explosions10102
Not coded4421955881171,342

Source: WSIB EIW Claim Cost Analysis Schema, June 2024 data snapshot, courtesy of Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA).

Table 5 shows the lost-time injury (LTI) frequency rate for the health and social assistance sector based on the WSIB data for allowed claims.

Table 5: LTI Frequency - health and social assistance sectors, 2023
SectorLTI Frequency 
2023
HC: Health Care2.46
D3: Hospitals1.61
N1: Ambulatory Health Care1.22
N2: Nursing and Residential Facilities3.88
N3: Social Assistance1.56

Source: WSIB EIW Employer Experience Schema and Claim Cost Analysis Schema, June 2024 data snapshot, courtesy of Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA).

Occupational health and safety events and injuries

Occupational health and safety events and injuries reported to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) are summarized in Table 6.

Table 6: MLITSD Health care sector events and injuries
Occupational health and safety events and injuries2019–202020–212021–222022–232023–24
Complaints1,0141,5901,114800827
Work refusals31399147
Fatalities12000
Critical injuries258317350377396

Statistical notes

  • Only critical injury events reported to the ministry are included.
  • This represents data that were reported to the ministry and may not represent what actually occurred at the workplace.
  • The critical injury numbers represent critical injuries reported to the ministry and not necessarily critical injuries as defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
  • Non-workers who are critically injured may also be included in the ministry's data.
  • The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development tracks and reports fatalities at workplaces covered by the OHSA. This excludes deaths from natural causes, deaths of non-workers at a workplace, suicides, deaths as a result of a criminal act or traffic accident (unless the OHSA is also implicated) and deaths from occupational exposures that occurred many years ago.
  • Data subject to change because of inspectors' updates to the database.