Regional trends in work-related injury and illness, Ontario 2004-2008

Existing surveillance work has documented a parallel decline in work-related injuries and illness over the period 2004-2008 in two administrative data sources: emergency department visits and workers’ compensation lost-time claims. This plenary reports on a cross-sectional, observational study based on these administrative records, for occupationally active adults age 15+ in Ontario. Work injuries were classified to one of five economic regions and to eight categories defining the event of the injury. Percentage change in counts of visits or claims were estimated over the period 2004-2008. Although the two data sources document generally consistent work-related injury/illness trends in incidence by region and by injury event, there are unexplained differences in the regional incidence of compensation claims and emergency department visits.