Can You Get Life Insurance If You Work In Vancouver Island’s High-Risk Industries?
Nobody wants to dwell on the fact that their job might literally be killing them. When you work in Vancouver Island’s fishing or forestry industries, it’s easier to focus on the paycheque than think about the statistics. But the hard truth is that high-risk occupations do significantly reduce life expectancy due to their elevated rates of fatal injuries and illnesses.
Located on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada, the fishing and logging industries form the backbone of Vancouver Island’s economy. Unfortunately, they also rank among the world’s most dangerous professions. If you work in these fields, securing adequate life insurance can often be complicated.
Families and the economy depend on these essential workers, yet when you’re deemed high risk, life insurance becomes a maze of higher premiums and coverage obstacles. While underwriters typically focus on your health status, they can’t ignore what you do for a living when they’re calculating risk.
Understanding your options can help protect your family without breaking the bank. Insurance companies do charge more when they expect more claims—that’s just business. The good news? Non-medical life insurance alternatives exist, and making workplace safety a priority can help reduce both the dangers you face and the insurance challenges that come with them.
Understanding High-Risk Work on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island’s workforce faces unique occupational hazards across several industries. Forestry and fishing, a cornerstone of the island’s economy, presents substantial risks that go beyond the immediate dangers to workers.
These industries are not the only high-risk ones on Vancouver Island, however. Despite what most people assume, the most injury-prone occupation in British Columbia is actually healthcare. Health-care assistants experience the highest number of workplace injuries, with claims increasing 11% over five years. Yet traditional resource industries remain exceptionally hazardous, with tree fellers experiencing a staggering 20% injury rate. Construction workers are another high-risk group, facing frequent falls, equipment accidents, and other on-site hazards. Together with loggers and fishers, these occupations highlight the importance of having reliable life insurance coverage, especially non-medical options that provide quick protection without the need for extensive medical exams.
What does this mean if you’re seeking Canadian life insurance? Understanding how occupational risks affect coverage options becomes essential. Non-medical life insurance often provides viable alternatives for high-risk workers who might otherwise face coverage challenges.
Occupational Risk By The Numbers
Which jobs on Vancouver Island actually put workers at the greatest risk? The numbers tell a sobering story.
Commercial fishing tops the list with the highest mortality rate among all employment sectors in Canada. Approximately one death occurs monthly. The industry has shrunk over the years, but the fatality rate stubbornly refuses to drop.
Construction work presents substantial dangers too. In 2024, workplace injuries and illnesses tragically claimed the lives of 146 B.C. workers. Of these, 38 were due to traumatic workplace injuries, including falls from heights, being struck by objects, and being caught in equipment or machinery. Construction sites accounted for a significant portion of these fatalities.
Health-care assistants experience the highest number of on-the-job injuries in the province, with claims increasing by 11% over five years. Their primary hazards? Overexertion, violence, and falls.
Forestry remains exceptionally hazardous with 33.3 workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers annually. Tree fallers don’t mince words when they openly acknowledge having “the most dangerous job in the province”.
Electrical workers shouldn’t be overlooked either. A staggering 40% of work-related public fatalities and injuries over the past five years involved electrical hazards.
What does this mean for your insurance options? These occupation-specific dangers directly impact what coverage you can get and how much you’ll pay for it. If you’re working in any of these high-risk fields on Vancouver Island, exploring non-medical life insurance options can provide essential protection without the premium increases that typically come with dangerous professions.
Life Insurance Solutions for High-Risk Occupations
Insurance underwriters don’t guess when they calculate your premiums. They rely on historical data and documented risk factors when determining life insurance eligibility and premiums. If you’re a commercial fisher, forestry worker, construction worker, or any of the other high-risk occupations on Vancouver Island, this evaluation process can be especially rigorous. But solutions do exist for Vancouver Island’s high-risk workforce.
For those facing coverage challenges, no-medical or simplified issue life insurance presents viable alternatives. These options typically make approval easier without requiring extensive medical underwriting. Think of it as a way around the usual obstacles that come with dangerous work.
Specialised insurance providers understand unique occupational risks and have developed underwriting guidelines that accommodate dangerous jobs. At Maple Bay, we understand the unique challenges that high-risk workers face when seeking life insurance in Canada. We are insurance brokers, which means we aren’t here to push any particular insurance product. Instead, we work with multiple insurance providers to find coverage that fits your specific occupation and budget.
Our brokers have experience with the specialized underwriting guidelines that accommodate dangerous jobs. We can help you explore non-medical life insurance options and connect you with providers who understand your industry’s risks.
Request a free quote from Maple Bay Financial today to explore specialised coverage options designed for your occupation’s unique risks.