On Tuesday April 28, workers across Canada come together to mourn the dead and fight for the living. This year, we are highlighting workers facing burnout, chronic stress, and mental health crises caused by work and honouring those we have lost to work-related psychological harm. Every workplace injury or death is preventable, whether the harm is physical or psychological.
The reality facing workers is stark. Nearly half of working Canadians say their job is the most stressful part of their daily lives. 70% of workers are concerned about the psychological health and safety of their workplace. In 2023 alone, more than 8,500 workplace mental health injury claims were accepted by compensation boards, with health care, education, public services, and the trades among the hardest-hit sectors. The actual number of workers is likely far higher.
Further, we need to recognize that workplace physical injuries can trigger workplace psychological injuries, which need to be addressed together. Psychological health and safety is occupational health and safety. Workplace injuries – both physical and psychological – are serious and must be treated as such. Yet work-related stress, burnout, harassment, violence, and psychological harm are too often dismissed or ignored. These injuries are real, they are preventable, and they’re not “just part of the job.”
“Every worker in Canada has the right to safe work. It’s understood that employers are required to control physical, ergonomic, and chemical hazards, but psychosocial hazards must also be treated with the same seriousness,” said Marg Bourgoin, president of Quinte Labour. “Psychological injuries should be prevented just like injuries caused by working with heavy machinery or exposure to chemicals.”
