--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/five-deaths-a-day-workplace-fatalities-in-canada-1993-2005/" title: "Five Deaths a Day: Workplace Fatalities in Canada, 1993-2005" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:47:58+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:47:58+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "asbestos" - "Canada" - "job quality" - "occupational health and safety" - "OECD" - "workers compensation" - "workplace fatalities" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Economic Well-Being" - "Labour Markets" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Five Deaths a Day: Workplace Fatalities in Canada, 1993-2005 Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/five-deaths-a-day-workplace-fatalities-in-canada-1993-2005/ # Five Deaths a Day: Workplace Fatalities in Canada, 1993-2005 [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2006-04-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew, and Jill Hardt. 2006. “Five Deaths a Day: Workplace Fatalities in Canada, 1993-2005.” CSLS Research Report 2006-04. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/five-deaths-a-day-workplace-fatalities-in-canada-1993-2005/ ## Authors: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - Jill Hardt Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2006-04 December 2006 155 pages ## Related research [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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As Canadians work on average 230 days per year, this means that there were nearly five work-related deaths per work day in this country. The objective of this study is to provide a detailed analysis of the characteristics of persons who die on the job and the reasons they die, and to gain a better understanding of developments over time in this key indicator of job quality and labour market well-being. The study is divided into four main sections. The first section provides a comprehensive examination of workplace fatalities in Canada over the 1993-2005 period. The second section of the study provides an international perspective on workplace fatalities. The third section discusses determinants of workplace fatality trends in Canada. The fourth and final section briefly explores the role of asbestos in workplace fatalities in Canada. Two key messages emerge from this study. First, despite the problems associated with the definition and measurement of workplace fatalities, the number and rate of workplace fatalities in Canada, even from accidents, is unacceptably high. Second, insufficient progress is being made in reducing the number and rate of workplace fatalities. Canada can do much better. Selon les données recueillies par l’Association des commissions des accidents du travail du Canada, 1 097 décès liés au travail ont été enregistrés au Canada en 2005, comparativement à 758 en 1993. Comme les Canadiens travaillent en moyenne 230 jours par année, cela signifie qu’il y a eu près de cinq décès liés au travail par jour ouvrable au pays. L’objectif de cette étude est de fournir une analyse détaillée des caractéristiques des personnes qui meurent au travail et des raisons de leur décès, et de mieux comprendre l’évolution dans le temps de cet indicateur clé de la qualité de l’emploi et du bien-être sur le marché du travail. L’étude se divise en quatre sections principales. La première section propose un examen exhaustif des décès liés au travail au Canada au cours de la période 1993-2005. La deuxième section offre une perspective internationale sur les décès liés au travail. La troisième section traite des déterminants des tendances des décès liés au travail au Canada. La quatrième et dernière section explore brièvement le rôle de l’amiante dans les décès liés au travail au Canada. Deux messages clés ressortent de cette étude. D’abord, malgré les enjeux liés à la définition et à la mesure des décès liés au travail, le nombre et le taux de décès liés au travail au Canada, même attribuables à des accidents, demeurent inacceptablement élevés. Ensuite, des progrès insuffisants sont réalisés pour réduire le nombre et le taux de décès liés au travail. Le Canada peut faire beaucoup mieux. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2006-04-1.pdf)