In 1998, fewer workers died or were injured in British Columbia. We're happy to report that, but far from satisfied. Any workplace accident or fatality is a preventable tragedy.
B.C.'s workplace injury rate, the number of short-term disability claims accepted per 100 person-years, declined in 1998 - that's the good news - but the human cost remains staggering. On average, 731 people were injured each week, including three who died of their injuries.
It gets worse. Our 1998 injury rate, while 27 percent lower than 1990's and a marked improvement over last year's, remains far too high and among the highest in Canada.
Consider this, too: if an earthquake or similar single event produced the same number of deaths, permanent disabilities, and short-term injuries we see in the workplace every year, we would be devastated. Should we be less grief-stricken when the pain is spread across the year?
In short, B.C.'s occupational health and safety record has room for a lot of improvement. And the WCB is determined to see it improve. While the responsibility for workplace safety ultimately rests with employers and workers, we are committed to doing everything we can to reduce the carnage.
I would like to thank each and every WCB employee for the hard work and effort they contributed towards that goal in 1998. They are directly responsible for our achievements to date, and for ongoing improvements we expect to realize in the years ahead.
On April 15, 1998, B.C.'s new Occupational Health and Safety Regulation became law. The standards - five years in the making, involving more than 200 employer and worker representatives and thousands more British Columbians in public hearings - are the foundation of safe work practices throughout the province. In 1998, we devoted considerable attention and resources to stakeholder and staff education to help workers, employers, and our own employees prepare for the new statutory environment. During the year approximately 200,000 workers and employers attended WCB sessions on the new standards.
We worked hard to communicate the scope and impacts of B.C.'s injury rate, and to provide people with more information about health and safety issues, in the belief that raising awareness contributes to fewer deaths and injuries. We focused attention on young workers, for example, who are at particular risk for injury when they enter the job market. We also directed education, regulatory compliance, and research efforts to high-risk industries and occupations, in order to concentrate our energies on areas most in need of improvement.
Fewer workplace deaths and injuries mean less human suffering and fewer associated social impacts. Safer B.C. workplaces also mean significant financial savings for everyone - cutting the injury rate by half, for example, would save an estimated $1.5 billion in benefits, lost productivity, and the cost of replacement workers.
Also in 1998, the WCB:
