Canada’s statistics are not telling the complete story on construction industry deaths as the industry has come through a deadly 2022, and while figures record how fatalities occur, they tell little of the why or the trends in worker deaths. The construction industry figures from WorkSafeBC show 2022 saw 54 B.C. deaths, the highest in 35 years, and the Allied Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada’s figures show construction’s 183 fatalities outstripped other sectors.
BC Building Trades executive director Brynn Bourke said the figure of 28 trauma deaths surpassed the occupational deaths such as asbestos exposure, the past legacy of lax safety standards. The trauma deaths “are a real warning,” she said, as there needs to be more inspections, more training, proper equipment and proper fitting personal protection equipment, especially for women. Canada’s statistics are mainly gathered from workers’ compensation boards, a point that has drawn skepticism from two university reports as they indicate the figures are under-reported and not encompassing enoug