Author: darcy
Join us for the AWARE-NS 2017 AGM
AGM Invite 2017-online2
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More health workers in Saskatchewan are being compensated for violent on-the-job injuries than police or corrections officers, according to newly released statistics from the province’s Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB).
According to the board’s statistics on accepted claims, the top three groups of occupations that were prone to violent injuries between 2012 and 2016 were:
- Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates.
- Community and social service workers.
- Registered nurses.
LABOUR/ADVANCED EDUCATION–Amendments Make It Easier for Emergency Response Workers to Access PTSD Benefits
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Government is making it easier for emergency response workers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to access benefits.
Amendments to the Workers’ Compensation Act introduced today, April 28, will ensure covered emergency response workers no longer have to prove their PTSD diagnosis was caused by a workplace incident. They will also further clarify the claim process and who can get benefits.
“We’re grateful for the valuable and sometimes heartbreaking work our emergency response workers do every day,” said Labour and Advanced Education Minister Kelly Regan. “We want to make it easier for those who suffer from PTSD to access benefits and treatment. These changes are a step in the right direction.”
While stress due to traumatic events has always been covered under the Workers’ Compensation Act, it currently requires covered workers to prove their diagnosis is a direct result of a workplace incident. Some PTSD sufferers avoid getting help because of this process.
The proposed amendments will:
— clarify that PTSD is presumed to be a result of an accident during employment
— define who is eligible for presumptive PTSD benefits. This will include police, paid and volunteer firefighters, paramedics, nurses, and provincial and federal correctional officers with workers’ compensation coverage
— allow coverage for other health service occupations to be added by regulation
— further clarify the process to receive presumptive PTSD coverage. Diagnosis will be required from a registered psychologist or psychiatrist.
Government intends to consult key stakeholders following introduction of the bill.
The province is committed to addressing workplace mental health, and co-hosted a mental health and PTSD conference last fall. One of the themes that arose included the need for presumptive PTSD benefits for emergency response workers.
The amendments will take effect upon proclamation.
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FOR BROADCAST USE:
Legislation introduced today (April 28th) will make it
easier for emergency response workers diagnosed with post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to access benefits.
Amendments to the Workers’ Compensation Act will ensure
covered emergency response workers no longer have to prove their
PTSD diagnosis was caused by a workplace incident. They will
also further clarify the claim process and who can access
benefits.
Labour and Advanced Education Minister Kelly Regan says
the amendments will make it easier for those who suffer from
PTSD to access benefits and treatment.
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Media Contact: Lisa Jarrett
Cell: 902-717-4199
Email: [email protected]
The EMPOWER Partnership is a team of researchers, health experts, stakeholders across the world that recognize the importance of worker health and well-being. EMPOWER engages in research initiatives to assess the health of workers, and to assess evidence-based programs to foster both employee and organizational functioning and well-being by supporting the individual, strengthening groups, developing leaders and creating healthy organizations.
There are currently five EMPOWER programs; ACTion, WORC, LEAD, Leading Healthy Workplaces and SPHERE. Please review these programs and think about participating in this exciting and informative research. For more information on these programs and how you can get involved as an individual or organization, please contact:
Audrey Kruisselbrink, Research Coordinator [email protected]
Please note this is not an AWARE-NS project. All related enquiries are to be made to Audrey.
EMPOWER-Initiative Overview-Mar-2017
In April 2016, government introduced and passed Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act to help keep Nova Scotians safe at work. Most employers in Nova Scotia operate safe workplaces. However, there are some who repeatedly break serious health and safety rules, putting Nova Scotians at risk of serious injury or death. The amendments hold those employers more accountable, and were passed by the legislature with a commitment by the Department to work with stakeholders on next steps. That work is complete, and we’re ready to put the changes into place. We are writing today to inform you that the amendments will come into force on June 12, 2017.
As you will remember, the changes better define when, how, and what injuries and incidents must be reported, and give government additional tools and authority to enforce safety requirements for those who repeatedly disregard safety regulations, putting people at risk of serious injury or death. The Occupational Health and Safety Director now has the authority to deal with repeat offenders by:
- issuing stop-work orders at all their sites where these is potential for serious injury or death;
- applying to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia for an injunction to prohibit them from working in an industry where they have a repeated history of causing serious injuries or deaths;
- requiring them to advise the department of future work locations and activities so that an inspection can be conducted as needed.
The Department will continue to work with all of you between now and June to encourage further awareness and understanding of the changes. Over the next couple of weeks, we will post further information on our website, and an Occupational Health and Safety Officer may also go over this information with you during an upcoming workplace visit.
We ask that you please share this information with your workplace networks. We must continue to work together to keep Nova Scotians safe.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 1-800-952-2687 or 902-424-5400, or via email at [email protected].
The number of potential health and safety risks in any health-care organization is astounding. Not only do you need to worry about slips and trips, musculoskeletal disorders and chemical handling, but biological agents can be found around every corner. And of course there is always the pressure of keeping patients safe, too.
If your health-care organization truly knows only healthy and safe workers can ensure their patients are healthy and safe, we want to hear from you for the Canada’s Safest Employers’ Health Care Safety award.
Click here to nominate your company for the Health Care award as part of Canada’s Safest Employers awards.
For more information about Canada’s Safest Employers,
visit www.safestemployers.com.
Nominations Close June 1.
The National Alliance for Safety and Health in Healthcare welcomes the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health’s release of an operational plan on budget day that focuses in part on improving home and long-term care for seniors and enhancing safety for healthcare workers.
Bolstered by the federal government’s investment of $190.3 million for home care included in Saskatchewan’s 10-year health funding agreement, efforts to achieve a culture of safety, including continued focus on the implementation of the Safety Management System across all healthcare service lines, could significantly improve seniors’ care in this province.
Much work needs to be done to achieve the provincial government’s goal of no patients or staff being harmed by 2020, and a co-ordinated national strategy is critical to addressing health human resources challenges on the frontline of elder care across the country.
Read more.
