Data from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) suggests that the number of workplace injuries in Ontario’s construction sector is rising year after year.

The association noted that the number of recorded critical injuries have noticeably increased in recent years; 180 construction-related critical injuries were reported in Ontario in the fiscal year of 2014, followed by 158 in 2015, and 206 in 2016.

The number of construction-related traumatic fatalities also remains relatively consistent year-over-year, the organization said. There were 24 traumatic fatalities recorded in 2014, 19 in 2015, and 23 in 2016.

Several members of the construction industry believe that the higher number of critical injuries is partly due to the ministry of labor expanding the definition of what can be considered a “critical injury” at the start of 2017. The definition change meant injuries that were once considered minor have been reclassified as critical injuries instead, impacting records for the prior year.

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