Preventing Injury

A typical month in Nova Scotia workplaces produces some startling numbers.

Based on injury figures from 2007, every month, on average, there are 220 serious back injuries. There are 11 severe scalds, or burns. Forty-three broken bones. Chillingly, on average, one person dies because of a workplace injury or illness every month in Nova Scotia.

In total, more people are injured in Nova Scotia workplaces than in motor vehicle accidents on our highways.

The greatest losses are human – but injury is also a financial cost. Due to the sheer number of injuries and the time it takes workers to return to the job, Nova Scotia employers pay among the highest premiums for WCB coverage. The cost in terms of lost productivity, training of replacements, and so on is incalculable.

Fewer injuries and more timely and safe returns to work, over the long term, will mean lower costs on the system. In turn, that will translate into lower premiums. More importantly, more Nova Scotians will go home safe at the end of the day.

This section provides information and tools to help both employers and workers prevent injuries in their workplaces.