The consequences of underreporting workers’ compensation claims

Abstract

"I n 2004, 977 184 claims, including 920 relating to fatalities, were made to workers’ compensation boards in Canada.1 It has been estimated that 40%–50% of workrelated injuries in Canada go unreported, which suggests that the actual number of work-related injuries in 2004 was much higher.2,4 From a financial perspective, underreporting means that funding for medical costs that should be paid for by workers’ compensation boards3 are actually paid by the provincial governments. From a preventive medicine perspective, employers are not aware of the full cost of injuries and illness that occur in their workplace, and thus they may not invest adequately in preventive health and safety measures."