Mitigating Corporate Risk 

Traffic-related motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of work-related injury and death. They reduce our workforce by more than three workers each day.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health information:

• 47.3 % of all major Trauma injuries requiring hospitalization are caused by Motor Vehicle Collisions.
• Between 2001-2003, the number of people who died in hospitals because of a major injury in the workplace increased by 15%.
• The majority of these deaths in the workplace where caused by: falls (37%) and vehicular incidents (26%).
• Last year, work related motor vehicle fatalities represented more than 55% of the total registered traumatic fatality claims in the workplace.

The Economic Cost of Crashes

The Cost to Society:

• Traffic-related injuries are the leading causes of death in North America. Every 9 seconds, someone is injured in a traffic crash and every 13 minutes someone is killed.

• Traffic-related injuries are the leading causes of death for children and young adults.

The Cost to Employers:

• In one year, injuries related to motor vehicle collisions cost employers over $45 billion.
• Employer health care (medical) spending in Canada on crash injuries is nearly $9 billion every year and another $9 billion is spent on sick leave and life/disability insurance for crash victims.

Corporate Due Diligence!

Did You Know...?

Motor vehicle collisions are the greatest single cause of traumatic workplace fatalities in Ontario. In the last decade, it is estimated that vehicle crashes were responsible for more than 200 related deaths, accounting for more than 30% of all work-related traumatic fatalities.

Research confirms that individuals driving on company business are more likely than other road users to be involved in a collision resulting in death or serious injury.

Employer responsibilities. Article 3 of Bill C-45 provides that: everyone who undertakes, or has the authority, to direct how another person does work or performs a task is under a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm to that person, or any other person, arising from that work or task.

It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure, as far as is reasonably practical, the health and safety of employees while at work. It is the employer’s responsibility to carry out an assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees while they are at work. This includes work-related driving activities.

Employees driving on company business are considered to be undertaking a work activity and the vehicle they are driving, regardless of ownership, is regarded as a place of work.

What is YOUR responsibility as an Employer?

Establish a simple and effective safety management system for driving at work just as you would for any other work related activity.

What is OUR responsibility?