A new report shows the rate of injury in Nova Scotia workplaces continued to decline in 2023 and is down to half the rate recorded 20 years ago.
The Nova Scotia Workers’ Compensation Board says the time-loss injury rate improved to 1.4 injuries per 100 covered workers in 2023, down from 1.54 recorded in 2022 and significantly better than the 3.0 rate in 2003.
Board CEO Karen Adams says the numbers are encouraging and indicate a growing awareness by workers and employers of the need for safety on the job.
The highest rate of injury was in the health and social services sector, followed by the construction and manufacturing sectors.
The report says psychological injury due to traumatic events increased in 2023 when 159 workers who were mainly first responders were forced to take time off work. That figure represented 24 more than in the previous year.
Meanwhile, the report found 18 Nova Scotians died at or because of their work last year, down from 24 workers who died in 2022.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2024.