Abstract

According to Statistics Canada, 33.1% of Québec employees and 31.3% of Canadian employees were working in small enterprises with 49 paid employees or fewer in 2015. Small enterprises (SEs, also referred to as small businesses) constituted 95% of all employer businesses in Québec and Canada in 2016. Several international scientific results document the fact that risk control in small enterprises is less effective than in medium-sized and large enterprises, and that the risk of industrial accidents and occupational diseases for workers is also higher in small businesses. In particular, it has been observed that the lack of in-house resources in small enterprises results in reduced capacities, and has an effect on working and safety conditions and on management of occupational health and safety (OHS).

The Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) data are insufficient to provide a portrait of compensated occupational injuries in relation to enterprise size in Québec. Other data sources therefore have to be used to fill this information gap.

The aim of this research activity is to make a comparative analysis of the work context and to produce a statistical portrait of occupational halth and safety problems in relation to enterprise size.