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WorkSafeBC

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Statistics

Claims by Accident Type (Five Year Average)

Claims by Accident Type (5-year average). Fall to lower level 19%, Ergonomic (MSI) 16%, Fall on same level 13%, Struck by object 12%, Caught in/compressed 7%, Other 32%

Serious Injury Claims, 2003-2007

Between 2003 and 2007 there were 1,488 Serious Injury Claims* in the Agriculture Industry. Serious injuries represent 44% of the claims in this industry, as compared to one-third for all industries combined.

ACCIDENT TYPE   INJURY TYPE  
Fall to lower level 19% Sprains, strains, tears
37%
Ergonomic (MSI) 16% Fractures
33%
Fall on same level 13% Bruises, contusions
6%
Struck by object 12% Cuts, lacerations
4%
Caught in/compressed 7% Dislocations
2%
Other 32% Other 18%

Serious injury claim characteristics are generally similar to those of non-serious injuries, although the serious injury claims in this industry are slightly more likely to involve falls and fractures.

*Serious Injuries include claims with 28 or more work days paid, health care costs in excess of the equivalent of 28 or more days paid, a fatality, or one of 275 selected ICD9 codes, and is first-paid within the month of injury or the three months following.

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Agriculture Industry Statistics

In 2007, 4,939 employers reported payroll in this industry; a 7% decrease over the past five years.

Year
# STD/LTD/FTL Claims

Claim Costs Paid
($,000)*
Work Days Paid*
Injury Rate per 100 person-years
# Serious Injury Claims**
# Fatal Claims
2003
795
$7,874
41,647
3.7
349
6
2004
729
$9,211
40,979
3.5
296
1
2005
742
$8,963
42,349
3.4
284
3
2006
700
$9,188
37,163
3.5
299
3
2007
735
$8,420
34,899
3.6
260
3
2003-2007
Total
3,701
$43,656
197,037
3.5 (avg.)
1,488
16
2003-2007
% Change
-8%
7%
-16%
-3%
N/A
N/A

* The Claim Costs Paid and Work Days Paid relate to claims from all years of injury and are not just the result of the given year's claims.

** Serious Injuries include claims with 28 or more work days paid, health care costs in excess of the equivalent of 28 or more days paid, a fatality, or one of 275 selected ICD9 codes, and is first-paid within the month of injury or the three months following.

Go to the Terms of Reference for explanations of the terms used in this table.

Agriculture Industry statistics refer to the 27 Classification Units in subsector 7010 - Agriculture

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Injury Rate Trend

Injury Rates 2003-2007. Agriculture industry: 2003=3.7, 2004=3.5, 2005=3.4, 2006=3.5, 2007=3.6; All BC: 2003=3.1, 2004=3.1, 2005=3.1, 2006=3.1, 2007=3.1

The Injury Rate for Agriculture is slightly higher than the Injury Rate for all BC industries combined. Both have remained relatively stable over the past five years.

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Claims & Employment Trends

Claims vs. Employment Trends 2003-2007. Non-HCO Claims: 2003=763, 2004=711, 2005=705, 2006=681, 2007=687; Person Years: 2003=20,598, 2004=20,402, 2005=20,599, 2006=19,329, 2007=19,238

Non-HCO claims dropped significantly between 2003 and 2006, while Person Years saw the biggest decrease in 2006.

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

STD Duration

Average STD Duration 2003-2007. Agriculture industry: 62 days; All BC: 47 days

The average STD Duration between 2003 and 2007 for the Agriculture Industry was 62 days per claim, while the All-BC rate was only 47 days.

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Top Classification Units, 2003-2007

CU
CU Name
# Claims
% Claims
701018 Ornamental Nursery
807
22%
701012 Greenhouse
733
20%
701008 Farm Labour Supply or Farm Services
428
12%
701022 Ranch
282
8%
701005 Dairy Farming
234
6%
701017 Orchard
214
6%
701025 Vegetable Farming
162
4%
701020 Poultry Farming
124
3%
701003 Berry Farming
115
3%
701023 Horse Ranching, Raising, and Breeding
106
3%
701016 White Mushroom Farming
91
2%
701021 Poultry Hatching
61
2%
701019 Poultry Catching
61
2%
701009 Feed Lot or Stockyard
34
1%
701014 Hog Farming
29
1%
701026 Vineyard
32
1%
701010 Fur Bearing Animal Farming
32
1%
701004 Composting
26
1%
701006 Egg Farming
30
1%
701011 Grain Farming
15
0%
701013 Hay or Seed Farming
21
1%
701024 Sod or Turf Nursery
18
0%
701002 Apiary
16
0%
701001 Artificial Insemination, Animal Breeding
11
0%
701007 Exotic Poultry Farming
12
0%
701027 Wild Plant Harvesting
7
0%
Total
  
3,701
100%

Half of the claims in the Agriculture industry are related to Ornamental Nurseries, Greenhouses, and Farm Labour supply.

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Occupations

% STD/LTD/Fatal Claims, 2003-2007

Occupation
% Claims
Nursery & Greenhouse Workers: Gardener, Grounds Keeper (Except Golf Course), Hothouse Worker, Interior Plantscaper
39%
General Farm Workers: Cowboy/Girl, Grain Farm Worker, Cattle Ranch Worker, Beef Farm Worker, Vegetable Farm Worker
24%
Farmers: Cattle Rancher, Egg Producer, Breeder - Domestic Animals, Rancher, Seed Grower, Sod Farmer, Vegetable Grower
5%
Harvesting Labourers: Apple Picker, Nut Harvester, Berry Picker, Fruit Picker, Harvest Hand, Vegetable Picker
5%
Dairy Farm Worker
3%
Poultry Farm Worker, Hatchery Worker
3%
Specialized Livestock Workers: Shepherd, Stable Boss, Farm Boss, Herdsman/woman, Horse Trainer, Dairy/Cattle Herdsperson
2%
Truck Drivers: Transport, Long Haul, Long Distance, Bulk Goods, Tractor-Trailer, Trucker
2%
Other Occupations
17%

Nursery, Greenhouse, and General Farm Workers account for half of the claims in the Agriculture Industry.

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Age & Gender

% STD/LTD/Fatal Claims, 2003-2007

Age Range
Male
Female
Combined
15-24
12%
7%
20%
25-34
14%
8%
22%
35-44
13%
9%
22%
45-54
13%
8%
21%
55-64
9%
4%
13%
65+
3%
1%
3%
Combined
63%
37%
100%

Two thirds of these injuries were to males, while one-fifth were to young workers.

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Accident and Injury Types

flow chart

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Other Injury Factors

% STD/LTD/Fatal Claims, 2003-2007

Title: Sources of Injury; working surfaces 22%, vehicles 15%, bodily motion 12%, boxes, containers 11%, animals (live) 6%, other sources 34%

Title: Body Parts Injured: wrist, fingers, & hand 26%, back 9%, ankle, toe & feet 9%, shoulders 8%, knee 8%, other body parts 40%

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Accepted Fatalities

Accepted Fatalities, 2006 - October 2008
2006 Farmer
Struck by trailer gate
2006 Excavator operator
Pinned between excavator and water pump
2006 Rancher
Fell 12 feet from a pile of hay
2007 Farmer
Motor vehicle accident
2007 Farm worker
Motor vehicle accident
2007 Farm worker
Motor vehicle accident
2008 Ranch manager
Struck by immersion pump
2008 Farm hand
Pump house - oxygen depletion
2008 Farm hand
Pump house - oxygen depletion

Prepared by Risk Management, WorkSafeBC, November 2008.

Terms of Reference

Accepted Claims or #STD/LTD/FTL Claims refers to the number of short-term disability, long-term disability, and fatal claims accepted in the year (for all years of injury). It does not include health-care-only claims.

Assessable Payroll is the payroll used by WorkSafeBC in calculating the employer's assessment. It is the sum of the year's payroll for each employee, limited by the year's Maximum Assessable Wage.

Claim Cost Paid is the total health care payments, short term disability (STD) payments, vocational rehabilitation payments, long term disability (LTD) reserves and one-time cash awards, and survivor benefit reserves and one-time cash awards charged in the year regardless of year of injury.

Classification (CU) is the lowest level of industry grouping used by WorkSafeBC.

Employer Count refers to the number of employers registered with WorkSafeBC in the Classification Units indicated and reporting payroll in the year specified.

Ergonomic (MSI) or Musculoskeletal Injury refers to a combination of overexertion and repetitive motion accident types.

Fatalities are the number of fatality claims accepted for survivor or fatal benefits.

Injury Rate is the number of Non-Health Care Only (Non-HCO) claims per 100 person years of employment (estimated FTEs).

Non-HCO Claims refers to the total number of Non Health Care Only claims. A Non-HCO claim must have a Short Term Disability (STD), Long Term Disability (LTD) or Fatal benefit in the year or in the following 3 months.

Person Years of employment for an employer are estimated by dividing the employer's payroll by the average wage rate for the industry the employer operates in. The assumption being made is that wage rates are the same for all employers in the industry. For example, a person year is equivalent to one person working fulltime at an occupation for a one-year period.

Serious Injuries include all Non-HCO claims first-paid in the month of injury or in the following three months which also meet at least one of the following criteria: 28 or more days of wage loss in the period; health care costs equivalent to 28 or more days of wage loss; a fatality; one of 275 ICD9 serious codes.

Small Business refers to employers having fewer than 20 person years of employment (but more than zero).

STD (Short-term Disability) Duration represents an estimate of the average of STD Days paid for each STD claim. It is calculated according to the methodology developed by the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), and is based on all STD days paid in the year including days lost on injuries that occurred prior to the start of the 12-month period. Days arising from rehabilitation payments are excluded from the calculation.

Work Days Paid is the total short term disability (STD) days and rehabilitation income continuity (code R) days paid in the year regardless of the year of injury.

Data Source: WorkSafeBC Enterprise Data Warehouse as of October 31, 2008.



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