Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of traumatic workplace deaths in BC accounting for over one-third of all traumatic workplace fatalities between 2014 and 2018 according to WorkSafeBC. Work-related motor vehicle crashes are of particular significance to the health care and social services sector, which averaged almost 800 time loss claims (second only to the transportation sector) and over 40,000 lost work days during that same period. The financial cost of almost $9.5 million doesn’t account for the sometimes life-altering aftereffects and emotional toll of crashes.
The health care and social services sector’s greatest assets are its people, who provide care and who themselves deserve that same care and attention when they’re driving in the course of their work.
The most at-risk occupations in the health care sector for motor vehicle incident claims between 2014 and 18 were:
- Nurse aids, orderlies and patient services associates accounting for 1/3 (248)
- Social and community service workers accounting for over 1/5 (167)
- Paramedical occupations accounting for over 1/5 (160)
The annual Road Safety at Work awareness campaign focuses on reminding employers, employees, contractors and clients about the need to prevent work-related motor vehicle incidents and offers tools to help.
Here are a few essential examples of tools you can use to improve road safety for your employees:
- Understanding Your Road Safety Obligations – Register and take this on-line course that not only explains employers’ legal obligations related to ensuring road safety for their employees and contractors but also offers practical advice on how to comply.
- Plan-Do-Check – Follow this straightforward planning framework to develop a road safety program for your workplace.
- MVI Cost Calculator – Use this tool to understand the real cost of workplace crashes and to build the business case for doing more to improve road safety at your workplace.
- Road Safety Planner – Subscribe to the 2020 Road Safety Planner for automatic reminders and supporting material to complete 6 key road safety activities throughout the year.
Road safety is smart business. In addition to the compelling human argument to preventing fatalities and r injuries, there is a strong business and financial case to be made to preventing motor vehicle crashes.
- Workers injured in motor vehicle crashes are off work longer – an average of 84 days in 2018 – compared to the average duration of 55 days for all claims in the same year.
- The average cost of a crash claim is about $44,000, more than twice the average cost of all WorkSafeBC claims (almost $20,000).
- In 2018, WorkSafeBC paid about $60 million in claims costs for work-related crashes.
- Motor vehicle crashes make up 2.5 percent of all work-related injuries resulting in time away from work, but account for 5.5 percent of total claims costs.
For more information on how to reduce motor vehicle crashes at your workplace and protect your greatest assets, your employees and contractors, visit roadsafetyatwork.ca.
