March 8, 1996
(Employment and Labour Relations)

Minister announces lost-time accident statistics for 1995

Tom Murphy, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, today announced that the number of injuries and illnesses in workplaces throughout Newfoundland and Labrador decreased in 1995 from that of the previous year. "This is particularly good news considering the level of employment increased in 1995," said the minister.

Statistics show that there were 5,863 lost-time accidents reported in the province in 1995. "This figure represents a decrease of approximately 10.35 per cent or 677 accidents in 1995 compared to 1994," said the minister.

Incident rates are leading indicators of the extent and frequency of workplace injuries and illnesses and are based on the number of lost-time accidents per 100 persons employed. "I am very pleased to report that incident rates in Newfoundland and Labrador have decreased from 5.17 lost-time accidents per 100 employees in 1990 to 2.9 lost-time accidents per 100 employees in 1995," said Mr. Murphy. "This demonstrates a significant improvement over the five-year period and represents a decrease in excess of two lost-time accidents for every 100 employees in Newfoundland and Labrador," added the minister.

The department is pleased with this performance and recognizes the contribution made by employers and employees in realizing the overall reduction of workplace injuries/illnesses. "The department has set a goal of further one point reduction in the incident rate over the next three years and we are confident in achieving this goal with the continued co-operation of employers and employees throughout Newfoundland and Labrador," said the minister

Contact: Jean M. Smith, (709) 729-2703.

1996 03 08 3:05 p.m. /md