Less than 1 in 10 construction deaths, injuries are among women
Women account for a very small percentage of death and injuries in the Canadian construction industry, according to a recent report.
Citing data from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), Daily Commercial News reports that, in 2022, women filed 1,710 time loss claims compared to the 26,776 claims filed by men.
A further 26 were undefined.
That year, women accounted for 5.99 per cent of total claims.
Meanwhile, in 2021, women in the construction industry filed 1,631 time loss claims, compared to the 27,076 time loss claims filed by men.
For the remaining, 14 time loss claims, it’s unclear whether they were filed by women or men.
Women accounted for 5.67 per cent of total claims.
However, Daily Commercial News also cited data noting that the population of women in Canada’s construction industry is far too little compared to that of men.
“Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey for May 2023 determined there were 221,900 women in construction (up 14 per cent from 12 per cent the previous year),” read part of the report.
“The 2023 BuildForce Canada Looking Forward study’s tally in 2022 numbered 199,600 women employed in Canada’s construction industry, of which 27 per cent worked onsite.”
Why women in construction do not feel safe
Despite the data on injuries and fatalities, women do not feel safe in the construction industry, and thus their small representation, according to a LinkedIn post from Matthew Luman, who is currently an health, safety, security & environment manager at Ceres Terminals, back in 2017:
“Many women simply avoid entering construction because of the threat of harassment. They believe being on a job surrounded by men will become an atmosphere filled with constant cat-calling, sexual harassment, or denigration,” he said.
“With women being a rarity in construction, chances to improve a culture are few and far-between.”
