McGuinty Government Establishes New Occupational Health And Safety Team
TORONTO, Nov. 3 /CNW/ -
NEWS
Ontario is creating a new permanently funded team of specialists to help
improve workplace safety of health care workers in Ontario.
The 17 new health care specialists will improve enforcement of
occupational health and safety regulations in health care workplaces for the
more than 480,000 workers in Ontario's hospitals, long-term care homes,
doctors' offices, medical laboratories and other health care workplaces.The new team will:
- Help enforce compliance with health and safety legislation in health
care sector workplaces
- Ensure health care providers are better prepared for emergencies,
including outbreaks of infectious diseases
- Support a committee of sector representatives who advise the Minister
on occupational health and safety matters, and
- Assist employers and employees in health care and all other sectors
to prevent occupational diseases.QUOTES
"Our health care workers work valiantly day and night to protect us,"
said Labour Minister Peter Fonseca. "In return, we owe it to them to protect
them to the best of our ability. Health care workplaces have unique hazards in
addition to those typically found in industry."
"We are pleased to support an increased focus on improving occupational
health and workplace safety conditions in health care workplaces. Health care
workers face many hazards that are unique to this sector," said David Caplan,
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.QUICK FACTS
- The MOL Health Care Team responds to the recommendations in the SARS
Commission final report by Justice Archie Campbell, released in
January 2007.
- Since 2004, the Ministry of Labour has hired and trained 200
additional occupational health and safety inspectors, bringing the
total to 430.
- Chief Physician Dr. Leon Genesove will lead the new team of health
care professionals.
- The new Health Care Unit is part of the Safe At Work Ontario
(http://www.labor.gov.on.ca/english/hs/sawo/index.html) strategy that
is helping to reduce the rate of injury in provincially regulated
workplaces.
- Among many workplace hazards encountered by health care workers are
musculoskeletal disorders related to patient handling, violence,
radiation (x-rays, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging),
infectious diseases, and accidents with needles.LEARN MORE
News about needle safety
(http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/news/2008/08-91.html)
Ministry of Labour health care sector plan
(http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/sawo/sectorplans/healthcare1.html)-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ontario.ca/labour-news
Disponible en français
For further information: Susan McConnell, Minister's Office, (416)
326-7710; Bruce Skeaff, Communications Branch, (416) 326-7405
