New Brunswick had 9 workplace fatalities in 2025: report

A new report from WorkSafeNB says there were nine workplace fatalities in 2025.

Workplace fatalities continue to drop in New Brunswick, according to a new report.

WorkSafeNB’s annual report says there were nine workplace fatalities in 2025, down from 15 in 2024. Traumatic psychological injury claims also dropped by 26 per cent.

“Every loss is deeply felt, and even a single workplace death is one too many,” the report reads. “These tragedies are unacceptable and serve as a powerful reminder that more must be done. We cannot become complacent.”

Tim Petersen, president and CEO of WorkSafeNB, said they won’t be satisfied until there are no workplace fatalities.

“Our vision is making New Brunswick the safest place to work, so the best thing we can do is prevent injuries,” he said.

“We need to do a better job supporting people who have suffered psychological injuries, and that even extends out to the families of people who have been severely injured at work. We’re doing a lot of work building programs around that, and we’re in the infancy of getting those programs rolled out.”

Chris Watson, president for the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, said the report shows progress.

“When we look at the amount of fatalities being down, that’s something that shows that people are pushing in the right direction for change,” Watson said. “We want to build on that and we want to continue to invest in prevention.

“We want to continue to strengthen worker protections and make sure that every worker has the ability to come home safe at the end of the day.”

WorkSafeNB, which represents nearly 400,000 workers, said 36 per 100,000 workers suffered severe injuries in 2025, which is still above their target of 30 per 100,000 by 2029.

The report notes back and leg injuries are the most common at 21 and 10 per cent, respectively. Sprains, strains and tears make up 46 per cent of the types of injuries.

Forty-four per cent of New Brunswick workers who suffer injuries are between 46 and 65 years old.

The report found 80 per cent of injured workers were off their claim within 180 days in 2025.

“This matters because helping workers recover earlier reduces the risk of long-term disability and supports better outcomes for both workers and employers,” the report reads.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Avery MacRae

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.