These are the official numbers on workplace injuries and deaths in Canada: accepted lost time claims and fatalities by province and territory from 2020 to 2024, what causes the injuries, and how Alberta compares. Every figure comes from the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), the Government of Alberta or WCB-Alberta, with the table it came from.
Key takeaways
- Canadian compensation boards accepted 342,714 lost time claims and 1,046 workplace fatalities in 2024 (AWCBC).
- Overexertion is the leading cause of lost time claims (16.9%); falls of every kind together make up 18.2%.
- Alberta’s lost-time claim rate fell to 1.35 per 100 person-years in 2024, the lowest in five years, but its fatality rate reached a ten-year high.
- Construction has Alberta’s highest fatality rate: 17.45 deaths per 100,000 person-years in 2024.
- WCB-Alberta paid $103.4 million in COR-related PIR refunds to 10,231 employers for 2024.
Workplace injuries and deaths in Canada, 2020 to 2024
Accepted lost time claims are injuries or illnesses serious enough that a worker missed time beyond the day of the injury and the compensation board accepted the claim. Fatalities are counted in the year the board accepted the claim and include deaths from occupational disease.
| Year | Accepted lost time claims | Accepted fatalities |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 253,397 | 924 |
| 2021 | 277,217 | 1,081 |
| 2022 | 348,747 | 993 |
| 2023 | 274,022 | 1,057 |
| 2024 | 342,714 | 1,046 |
Source: Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), National Work Injury, Disease and Fatality Statistics 2022-2024, Table 1 (lost time claims) and Table 22 (fatalities). The 2022 rise lines up with a jump in exposure claims that year. Ontario's 2024 lost time claims roughly doubled from 2023, which accounts for most of the 2024 national increase; AWCBC does not give a reason.
By province and territory, 2024
| Province or territory | Lost time claims | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 143,562 | 320 |
| Quebec | 75,642 | 246 |
| British Columbia | 54,993 | 146 |
| Alberta | 28,286 | 203 |
| Manitoba | 14,035 | 22 |
| Saskatchewan | 8,156 | 27 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 5,920 | 26 |
| Nova Scotia | 5,491 | 17 |
| New Brunswick | 4,052 | 19 |
| Prince Edward Island | 1,102 | 6 |
| Yukon | 774 | 4 |
| Northwest Territories and Nunavut | 701 | 10 |
| Canada | 342,714 | 1,046 |
Source: AWCBC, Tables 1 and 22, 2024. Counts reflect each board's coverage and rules, so they compare totals, not risk: rates per worker are published by each province. Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario leave out no-time-loss permanent disability claims. A lost time claim that becomes a fatality is counted in both tables.
What causes lost time injuries
| Event | Claims, 2024 | Share of claims |
|---|---|---|
| Overexertion | 57,956 | 16.9% |
| Fall on the same level | 43,266 | 12.6% |
| Struck by an object | 40,767 | 11.9% |
| Bodily reaction | 36,316 | 10.6% |
| Exposure to caustic, noxious or allergenic substances | 25,359 | 7.4% |
| Assaults or violent acts by a person | 22,400 | 6.5% |
| Struck against an object | 18,102 | 5.3% |
| Fall to a lower level | 16,916 | 4.9% |
| All falls together | 62,216 | 18.2% |
Source: AWCBC, Table 7, Number of Accepted Lost Time Claims by Event, 2024. Shares are worked out by TruStar Safety from AWCBC's counts against the 2024 Canada total of 342,714.
Most of the top causes are ordinary work done in ordinary conditions: lifting, carrying and pushing (overexertion), slips and trips on the same level, and objects that fall or swing. They are what a good hazard assessment and a daily inspection are meant to catch.
Alberta in 2024
- Lost-time claim rate: 1.35 per 100 person-years, the lowest in five years (2.00 in 2022, 1.47 in 2023), from 27,861 lost-time claims.
- Disabling injury rate: 2.42 per 100 person-years, from 49,831 disabling injury and illness claims.
- Fatalities: WCB-Alberta accepted 203 fatality claims, 170 of them for deaths in 2024. The fatality rate was 8.25 per 100,000 person-years, a ten-year high. Of the 170 deaths, 51% were from occupational illness, 31% from workplace incidents and 18% from motor vehicle incidents.
- Highest-risk sector: construction and construction trade services had the highest fatality rate, at 17.45 per 100,000 person-years.
- Most claims by occupation: transport and heavy equipment operation and related maintenance, with 12.2% of claims.
- Leading causes: overexertion (22% of claims), falls of every kind (17%) and being struck by an object (10%).
Source: Government of Alberta, Workplace injury, illness and fatality statistics: provincial summary 2024 (published January 13, 2026), including Tables C1 and C2.
What COR is worth in Alberta
Alberta employers that hold a Certificate of Recognition earn refunds on their WCB premiums through the Partnerships in Injury Reduction (PIR) program: 10% of the industry rate in the first year and 5% each year they keep it, up to 20% under the program's other measures. To earn a COR, an employer needs at least 50% on each element of the audit and 80% overall.
| Refund year | COR holders receiving PIR refunds | Total PIR refunds |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,711 | $71.2 million |
| 2022 | 10,450 | $78.7 million |
| 2023 | 10,653 | $84.9 million |
| 2024 | 10,231 | $103.4 million |
| 2025 (forecast) | 10,212 | $106.5 million |
Source: WCB-Alberta, Partnerships in Injury Reduction and the COR holders chart (as of May 1, 2026, including deferred improving-your-performance forecasts). WCB-Alberta reports that over 43% of Alberta's workforce was covered by an employer with a valid COR in 2025. These counts are COR holders receiving refunds, not every COR holder in the province.