In Canada, the average direct cost of a workplace injury is around $29,000
This article was created in partnership with Medcor Canada.
In industrial and construction-heavy environments - where time is money and every delay can disrupt schedules - workplace injuries are more than just health issues, they’re operational threats. As per the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), the average direct cost of a workplace injury is around $29,000. And, when including indirect costs such as lost productivity, training replacement workers and administrative time, the total can reach $100,000 or more per incident.
One organization that understands this better than most is Medcor Canada, with their onsite care model actively redefining how businesses manage these risks - showcasing measurable results in safety, productivity and cost control. Speaking to COS, Melissa Manion, Director of Sales & Customer Success at Medcor Canada, is direct about the impact their model is having.
“One of the biggest differences is understanding how an injury can impact the worker and business, so we can eliminate the uncertainty of what happens next when someone's hurt,” she explained. “We have the answers we’re collaborating with both the worker and our client on next steps.”
Traditional care models often require injured workers to travel to offsite clinics, triggering a cascade of delays. These visits consume not just the worker’s time, but also that of managers as well.
“Offsite trips not only take up the time of the worker, they take up the time of the supervisor and safety personnel that go with the worker,” Manion added. “Then there's waiting for the clinic to see the person, the time the paperwork is completed, trying to understand the paperwork and even getting it from the client.”
By contrast, Medcor Canada’s permanent onsite clinics streamline this process entirely - and this efficiency has a tangible benefit: project continuity.
“When the clinic's onsite, then the worker doesn't need to wait. They get seen right away. The paperwork can be completed right away. The supervisor is there, and everyone works together. We build a modified work plan that benefits everyone and works within the scope of the company and what they can offer.”
For remote or short-duration projects where a permanent clinic isn't feasible, Medcor Canada also deploys mobile clinics that bring the same high standard of care directly to the worksite. These mobile solutions provide flexible, scalable support that ensures workers receive timely treatment without disrupting operations – even in the most challenging environments.
Beyond operational gains, this onsite model nurtures a culture of early reporting and proactive health management. “First, we build trust, and then, once that's established, workers want to come to us,” Manion told COS. “We not only offer an avenue for work-related injuries and illnesses, but also general health support.”
This trust-driven approach becomes critical as access to traditional care grows more challenging. Workers are more likely to report minor injuries when help is readily available, creating a preventive rather than reactive environment. A key differentiator of Medcor Canada’s model is how it adapts to each client’s injury management program.
“We understand our clients’ needs for work-related incidents and how their injury management programs work,” Manion added. “We customize our workflows to allow care and support for the entirety of the situation. We also eliminate extra appointments and other providers, so we become that one-stop shop.”
Perhaps most compelling are the outcomes. Medcor Canada tracks significant reductions in lost time and quicker return-to-work rates.
“We’ve seen a measurable difference,” added Manion. “Especially now, not all healthcare providers in a traditional setting understand workers’ compensation, occupational care, the importance of supporting a modified worker return-to-work program. And a lot of doctors are just too busy right now to want to fill out all of the extra paperwork. A doctor may say: ‘Okay - you can't do labour work, so now you're off work for the next two weeks.’ And that just brings uncertainty for the worker and the supervisor.”
Onsite care, however, provides a nuanced alternative.
“We understand that labourers may not be able to do labour work,” added Manion. “But we also know that the company probably has alternate tasks they can do to keep the worker engaged, keep the worker at work and on a good, healthy path to recovery.”
With Medcor Canada, tracking is built into the model. As Manion told COS, they have a program in which a medical record system pulls demographic data into their client portal,” she noted.
“That means we can see usage, the time of day, most common injuries, when people come to see us and even track how many people we’ve sent off versus keeping at work.” The benchmark? “We really try to keep it around that 89–90% mark, if not higher.”
These insights don’t just support individual worksites—they help paint a broader picture of industry-wide injury trends.
It’s a win-win-win – for workers, for their supervisors and for Canadian employers.
