Workplace Safety Initiatives for Nova Scotia’s Long-Term Care, Home Care, and Disability Support Sectors
In the spring of 2022, the Nova Scotia Government committed to working with stakeholders to improve the health and safety of workers in Nova Scotia’s Long Term Care, Home Care, and the Disability Support Program Sectors.
The Government indicated that it supports the work done to create and begin to implement the 21 recommendations of the Workplace Safety Action Plan for Nova Scotia’s Long Term Care, Home Care, and Disability Support Program Sectors. They also stated that they wanted to focus on a smaller number of priority recommendations, which have been renamed as the Workplace Safety Iniitiatives.
Background information on the Workplace Safety Action Plan, the Charting the Course report and the original 21 recommendations can be found by clicking the Archives button above.
The Workplace Safety Initiatives to be implemented in 2022 / 23 align with the Nova Scotia Government’s direction of ensuring a safe work environment with practices that prevent workplace injuries and support timely returns post-injury.
An initial scoping exercise has been completed within the Department of Seniors and Long Term Care (DSLTC), the Department of Community Services (DCS), and the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) to understand priorities and the focus of future work. This also included confirming accountability and responsibility for priorities.
AWARE-NS is a key partner in this work and is working with other stakeholders advance the 2022-23 priorities
In 2022-23, Government approval has been received for over $3 million dollars to continue efforts to support safe workplaces for Continuing Care and DSP sectors with the following Workforce Safety Initiatives:
- Implementation of a Home Care (HC) Lift Loan Program
- The continuation or implementation of Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) to the sectors
- Supports for safety programming and training, development of leadership training tools, with staff backfills to support participation
- Supports for the Stay at Work / Return to Work program
- Support for continued implementation of existing programs including Safe Handling and Mobility and Workplace Violence Prevention
