Sixteen per cent of those were for workers aged 50 to 54.

Health care and social services had the most lost-time claims, accounting for 18 per cent of the total, followed by manufacturing (13 per cent), retail trade (11 per cent) and construction (10.5 per cent). It’s not surprising that health care leads the pack as it operates 24-7, is one of the largest employers in the country and sometimes experiences high turnover, said Sandra Cripps, CEO of the Saskatchewan Association for Safe Workplaces in Health.

“We know that shoulder and back injuries are the highest type of injury, have the highest cost and are the most difficult to fully recover from… When it comes to occurrences of violence and aggression, I would suggest there is under reporting, so the actual numbers could even be higher,” she said. “I suspect our partners in safety are keenly aware that as an industry we can do better… In order to have safe patient care, we need a safe workforce.”