An FMC study of unpublished Ontario Ministry of Labour data has shown that if an accident or incident resulted in charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, there was an 82% probability that at least one person or corporation would be convicted and fined in relation to that incident.
Workplace accidents often result in charges against more than one corporation or individual. Take, for example, an accident at a construction site that results in charges against the general contractor (“constructor”), subcontractors, supervisors, and workers; the data shows an 82% chance that at least one of those parties would be convicted and fined.
Only 14% of incidents that lead to charges – about 1 in 7 – resulted in all of the defendants avoiding convictions and fines.
The complete study, which was released in May 2012, may be accessed here.
