Background: In Canada, administrative databases maintained by provincial workers' compensation boards are often the best or the only available data source for describing trends and characteristics of occupational cancer. In Ontario, approximately 75% of the labor force is covered by the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and allowed cancer claims date back to 1937.
Methods: The purpose of this study was to describe WSIB-allowed cancer claims by worker demographics, claim characteristics, year of filing, cancer type, and work exposure measures including workplace agent, occupation and industry.
Results: In total, claims were filed and compensated for one or more malignant neoplasms by, or on behalf of, 3,126 workers between 1937 and 2003.
Conclusions: Results show trends in cancer compensation reflecting changes in the characteristics and prevalence of workers exposed to workplace carcinogens, as well as changes to WSIB adjudication policies over time.