Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper.
The work environment is characterized by the occurrence of different events that are
capable of either steering the company forward or retarding its growth. Accidents and injuries
are two of the most frequent unfortunate experiences that have a negative impact on the firm or
business. They often lead to reduced productivity, loss of sales, poor morale among employees
or even closure of the entire business. Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper. The existence of laws and legislations to protect staff
members and employees against injuries at the workplace differ from one country to the next.
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This paper is an essay that discusses accidents and injuries at work in relation to Quebec
province of Canada.
Province Chosen: Quebec province, Canada.
Assignment
Choose one jurisdiction, such as a state, province or country (QUEBEC). For your own
benefit it is preferable to choose the jurisdiction where you are from or where you plan to go to
work, but that is not mandatory. Locate the data on workplace accidents and injuries and, for the
most recent reference period available, find out:
a) How many work related deaths were there?
The most recent statistics according to the association of workers in Canada shows that
most people in this country are at risk of dying in their line of duty (Association of workers
compensation boards of Canada, 2016). Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper. A study that was conducted on the number of fatalities
in the various places of work showed that more people are succumbing to their injuries in
Quebec and even other cities in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2016). The year 2014 saw more than
919 people succumbing to injuries obtained from their different areas of work (Association of
workers compensation boards of Canada, 2016). This number was an increase from the previous year where at least 902 people were killed from different accidents while performing their work
related duties (Association of workers compensation boards of Canada, 2016).
The province of Quebec was shown to have the second highest numbers of deaths
resulting from the workplace after Ontario. This clearly signifies the fact that Quebec has indeed
registered a high prevalence rate when it comes to the occurrence of injuries and accidents at
work (Statistics Canada, 2016). These figures also showed that more men than women were
twice as likely to die on their jobs. Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper.
The incidence of deaths at workplaces all over Quebec was shown to be at least 30 times
higher among the men than it was with the women (Stock et al, 2014). Additionally, the study
also showed that most of these deaths occurred because there was negligence in the line of duty
and at the same time, worker safety was not very efficient.
b) What was the number 1 cause?
There are a myriad of reasons that have been attributed to the causes of injuries and
accidents in different workplaces in Quebec. The leading cause was noted to be occupational
diseases and other illnesses that workers contracted while on their line of duty (Association of
workers compensation boards of Canada, 2016). The majority of employees were shown to be
perfectly healthy at the time they began their employment. However, their state of health
appeared to decline as they continued to work in different environments. Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper.
The common occupational diseases that were experienced and noted include cancers,
pulmonary infections and even heart ailments ( CBC News Canada, 2016). What’s more, other
employees were also shown to suffer from traumatic disorders and injuries that prevented them
from continuing with their employment. The largest percentage of these occupational diseases also arose from equipment and devices that were faulty that placed the employees at risk of
contracting some infections.
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c) What was the reported injury rate during that period?
The injury rate during this period was recorded to be high since at least more than 900
deaths were reported in the year 2014 alone. This figure was an increase from the previous years
since occupational cancer is an additional disease that was witnessed for the first time (Canada's. Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper.
Private Sector Union, 2016). According to the study that was conducted, the high level of risk in
most industries coupled with unprotected exposure to chemicals, rays and even particle
emissions led to most employees developing this type of cancer in a progressive state (Canada's
Private Sector Union, 2016). This explains why there was a serious increase in work related
deaths resulting from injuries and illnesses caused by occupational cancers.
d) Based on the data you have found, what would be considered as the most dangerous
industry sector?
The statistics and data discussed above showed that the most dangerous industry to work
in is the mining, construction and even the manufacturing sectors. The mining industry was
shown to be the most dangerous of the three because there are a lot of risks that come with its
work environment (Côté et al, 2013). To begin with, most of the miners often work in caves or
underground pits that are not very well protected and do not have enough light. As such, most of
the employees are forced to work in the dark without any proper visibility ( CBC News Canada,
2016). Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper.
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Secondly, most of the mines have toxic and poisonous gases trapped within the rocks and
their exposure can easily cause work fatalities. Thirdly, the risk of mines collapsing on its workers is very high and this can eventually lead to serious accidents and injuries. What’s more,
the mining industry is known to have a high percentage of emissions that are often inhaled by the
miners on a daily basis ( CBC News Canada, 2016). The accumulation of these harmful dust
particles, gases or even radiations is the leading cause of the occupational diseases, injuries and
accidents explains why the mining industry is one of the harmful places to work in within the
city of Quebec.
e) Employers sometimes base their health and safety programs on the accident history;
how far back should they look when considering their needs for prevention measures?
The process of trying to establish an effective program to safeguard the health of
employees needs to consider the history of work related accidents for at least ten years. Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper.This means that potential employers should go ten years back and look at the statistics of accidents,
injuries and illnesses arising out of work activities in their respective industries. The numbers
and figures are useful in providing a vivid picture of the dangers that exist in a particular sector
and the most efficient measures to take so as to curb them with respect to Quebec (Statistics
Canada, 2016).
Additionally, the process of coming up with measures that can be used to prevent
accidents at work must be tailor made depending on the specific industry that a given firm or
company operates. Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper. The consideration of assessing histories of accidents over a ten year period is
valuable because it can provide insights on the loopholes that were present such that the high
incidences of injuries were reported (Statistics Canada, 2016). For instance, employers within the
mining industry can consider whether previous mines had installed safety precautions such as
providing protective equipment to employees or even giving them medical covers (Côté et al,
2013). Eventually, this can become a useful guide as to the procedures to adopt when it comes to considering the right measures to implement so that the rates of accidents and injuries at work
can be drastically minimized in Quebec and other cities in Canada as well. Workplace Accidents and Injuries-Quebec province, Canada Paper.