Defend Public Healthcare

Lost time injury (LTI) claims for workers compensation by health care support workers have shot up in the last few years, even before COVID-19.     For many years, claims were in the 2,500 range, before starting an upward track in 2014, rising to 4,271 in 2019, just before COVID-19 hit.  That is about a 60% increase.   Other major occupations in health care saw the number of claims remain basically flat between 2002 and 2019 (with things changing in 2020, as we shall see).    By 2019, health care support workers had the second most workplace lost time injury claims of any occupation reported by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) - only motor vehicle and transit drivers had more, with 4,901 in 2019. In 2002, health care support workers had only the eighth highest number of LTI claims. So things have changed. The increase in injury claims among health care support workers is more remarkable as WSIB has been on a tear to reduce lost time injury benefit claims – with total