Item - 2016.EL4.4

The Employee and Labour Relations Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the first and second quarters 2016 Occupational Health and Safety Report for information.

This report provides information on the status of the City's health and safety system, specifically on activities, priorities and performance during the first two quarters of 2016.

There was a 9.6 percent decrease in the number of lost time injuries (LTIs) during the first two quarters of 2016 compared to the first two quarters of 2015. There was an 11.6 percent decrease in the frequency of lost time injuries and a 1.7 percent increase in severity.  There was a 7.1 percent decrease in the number of recurrences and a 2.8 percent decrease in medical aid injuries.

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) invoiced costs increased from approximately $13.7 million in the first two quarters of 2015 to approximately $19.3 million in the first two quarters of 2016.  The increase in costs are attributed to the following:

-  An increase in firefighter cancer costs from approximately $2.3 million in the first two quarters of 2015 to $7.2 million in the first two quarters of 2016. This increase is as a result of changes to firefighter presumptive legislation that recognizes additional cancers as being associated with the occupation of firefighting.

-  An increase in costs of current and historical claims resulting from:

-  musculoskeletal injuries

-  exposure to harmful substances and environments, specifically traumatic/stressful events and one electrical current exposure

-  assaults/violent acts

-  An increase in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board's administration rate from 34.3 percent in 2015 to 35.9 percent in 2016.