The latest report from WCB Nova Scotia, released during national Safety and Health Week, reveals a continuing decline in the impact of workplace injuries across the province. The “Impact of Workplace Injury Report for 2023” shows a significant reduction in the time-loss injury rate, which fell to 1.40 injuries per 100 covered workers in 2023, a decrease from 1.54 in the previous year.
This marks a long-term improvement, with the current rate representing half of what it was in 2003. The report details a total of 20,487 injuries, with 5,217 resulting in three or more days off work, a reduction from 5,420 time-loss injuries in 2022.
Notably, the home-care sector, despite having the highest injury rate in the province, experienced a 15 percent improvement, with the rate dropping from 6.85 to 5.84 injuries per 100 covered workers. This progress is attributed to sustained collaborative efforts with government and various sector partners, including initiatives like the Better Safety, Better Care campaign.
Karen Adams, CEO of WCB Nova Scotia, emphasized the importance of ongoing protective measures, especially for vulnerable workers in critical sectors. “It’s critical that we continue to protect these Nova Scotians from injury’s impact,” Adams stated. “Their work is so important.”
The report also highlights a broader provincial trend where workers are returning to their pre-injury duties more swiftly than before, with a decrease of 59,000 days lost to workplace injury in 2023. “We still have a long way to go, but every day not lost to work is a day the Nova Scotia economy needs,” Adams remarked. “All roads should lead to return-to-work. That’s how we will reduce the cost of workers’ compensation in our province, and more importantly, its impact on the workforce, and on Nova Scotian families.”
However, the report does raise concerns regarding psychological injuries, noting an increase in cases from 135 to 159 in 2023. These injuries are due to acute reactions to traumatic events, and starting September 2024, gradual onset psychological injuries will also become compensable.
Improvements were also recorded in several major industries, with both the construction and manufacturing sectors reporting declines in injury rates. The overall health and social services sector, the largest in terms of employment and injury volume, improved its injury rate by nearly 14 percent.
2024 marks the commencement of WCB Nova Scotia’s new seven-year strategic plan aimed at enhancing protection against workplace injuries and facilitating safe and timely returns to work.
