Occupational Surveillance in Canada, 1965-1991
Aronson, K.J.; Howe, G.R.; Carpenter, M.; and Fair, M.E. Occupational Surveillance in Canada: Cause-Specific Mortality Among Workers, 1965-1991 (Catalogue no.
84-546-XCB). Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2000. (CD-ROM containing Microsoft Excel spreadsheet files.)
Data from a national survey conducted by Employment Canada between 1965 and 1971 were used to create individual records for 457,224 men and 242,196 women, representing about 10%
of the labour force for that period.
The records constituted occupational histories of the individuals for the years surveyed (excluding 1970, for which the data were lost).
These records were compared with the National Mortality Database for 1965 to 1991. The comparison yielded mortality data for nearly 116,000 of the men and over 26,800 of the
women. The result was a database linking occupational and cause-of-death data for each of these individuals.
Because the Canadian Standard Occupational Classification was radically changed in 1971, the combined data had to be grouped separately by the 1961 and 1971 classifications
codes.
The individuals in this study included 1,280 male and 36 female taxi drivers and chauffeurs for the years 1965-69 (1961 occupational code 552) and 107 male taxi drivers and
chauffeurs for the year 1971 (1971 occupational code 9173).
The mortality data recorded only one taxi driver homicide, the victim being one of the 1,280 males in the 1965-69 group. However, although he was identified as a taxi driver in
1965-1971, there is a strong chance that he was not driving a cab at the time of his death.
It is also possible that individuals identified with other occupations may have become taxi drivers after 1971. If they were murdered and turned up in the National Mortality
Database their deaths would be associated with whatever occupation they held between 1965 and 1971 rather than with taxi driving.
Vital Statistics Branch Annual Reports, 1924-1927
Vital Statistics Branch Annual Report, 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1927 (Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics, 1926, 1927, 1929 and 1930).
The reports for these four years give numbers of deaths by occupation for five selected causes (accident, suicide, cancer, pneumonia and tuberculosis). Data are broken down by
5-year age groups (under 15 to 75 and over). Homicides are not included, and taxi drivers are buried in "Chauffeurs, Drivers, etc." which seems to include delivery truck
drivers. Total deaths for all causes are given in the 1925, 1926 and 1927 reports.
Special Report on Occupational Mortality, 1931-32
Special Report on Occupational Mortality in Canada, 1931-32 (Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Vital Statistics Branch, 1937).
Gives numbers of deaths by occupation for "ten important causes" and another "fifteen causes for which rates have not been computed". Homicides are not included and taxi
drivers are grouped with "Chauffeurs, drivers, delivery men, etc." Data, based on the 1931 census, are broken down into five age groups (20-24 to 55-64). Also gives total
population of males in each occupational group as well as death rates.
