Injury incidence and patterns in workers with intellectual disability: A comparative study

Abstract

Background Workplace safety is a concern in the employment of persons with intellectual disability, due to both real concerns for employee well-being, and the effect that negative perceptions of safety risk can have on hiring.

Method This study involved a retrospective analysis of workplace insurance claim records for workers with and without disability in a Canadian social enterprise.

Results Workers with intellectual disability sustained fewer injuries and experienced fewer absences due to injury than workers without disability. Lost-time injury rates for this business were not significantly different from those reported by other employers in the jurisdiction.

Conclusion Workplace safety is a concern for all workers, but fear of increased injury rates and heightened compensation costs should not be perceived as a risk when hiring individuals with intellectual disability.

Keywords:

• employment
• injury risk
• workplace safety

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Carol Roy of Career Services for her contributions to the data handling and background research for this paper.

Conflicts of interest: None.