Health and Safety Statistics 2008

2008 Summary for All Sectors
Lost-time injury (LTI) totals fell to a new low of 278 in Ontario forestry operations in 2008, a drop of more than 30% from 2007. A total of 23.9 million hours were worked in forestry firms in 2008, a decline of 20% from the year before and a far cry from the 42 million hours worked in 2001. The overall LTI frequency rate fell to a new low of 2.40 injuries per 200,000 hours worked in 2008, down from 2.99 in 2007.

Of the 1,350 forestry firms in Ontario, 1,208 (89.5%) reported zero lost-time injuries in 2008. More than one-third of the 123 forestry firms that employed 20 or more full-time equivalent workers reported zero LTIs in 2007.

The total of no-lost-time injuries (NLTI), in which workers didn’t lose wages but incurred health care costs, decreased from 1,380 in 2007 to 922 in forestry operations in 2008. The NLTI frequency rate fell from 9.24 injuries per 200,000 hours worked in 2007 to 7.69 in 2008.

Despite substantial decreases in total injuries and frequency rates since 2002, total days lost because of injuries have risen steadily throughout that period. Days lost increased from 195,964 in 2007 to 204,578 in 2008. The injury severity rate for forestry firms has almost tripled since 2002, standing at 1,705 days lost per 200,000 hours worked in 2008 compared to the 2002 total of 571 days lost.

Strains, sprains and tears continued to be the most common lost-time injury type in forestry work in 2008, accounting for 62% of LTIs in silviculture operations, 43% in veneer/plywood and other board mills, 34% in logging operations and 33% in sawmills.

Being struck by or against an object and over-exertion were the two leading causes of injury in forestry workplaces. Bodily reaction (an ergonomics-related problem resulting from repetitive motion and awkward postures) and falls on the same level were the two other most common injury causes.

Overall, logging operations had the best health and safety performance among the forestry rate groups in 2008, with declines in total injuries, LTI frequency, NLTI frequency and days lost because of injuries. The silviculture and other forestry services sector was at the other end of the range, with substantial increases in total injuries, LTI and NLTI frequency rates, as well as days lost and injury severity rate.

The WSIB registered three fatalities in the forestry rate groups in 2008 – one death each in the logging, sawmill and silviculture sectors. There were two fatality claims in Ontario forestry operations in 2007 and three in 2006.

Statistical Charts All Sectors

2008 summary for logging
2008 summary for veneer/plywood
2008 summary for sawmills
2008 summary for silviculture and other forestry services

 

 

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