Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
Issue link: https://digital.thesafetymag.com/i/358607
8 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com UPDATES FROM THE WORLD OF HEALTH & SAFETY By Zachary Pedersen M anitoba is spending $2 million to protect nurses, doctors, technologists, health-care aides and other health-care staff from workplace violence and is rolling out a new provincial violence prevention policy for all health facilities. As of April 30, a new provincial violence prevention policy is in place which expects all health facilities to take steps to prevent violence including: • identifying risks of violence and taking appropriate steps to eliminate or minimize those risks • training health-care workers to prevent and respond to violence-related incidents • developing an alert system so staff can quickly identify potential sources of violence and take action to prevent or respond appropriately • ensuring staff can quickly summon security assistance should a violent incident occur or appear imminent, which could include the use of panic buttons or other personal communication devices, and a "code white" procedure to summon internal security personnel or nearby law enforcement offi cers Manitoba invests $2 million to curb workplace violence • requiring mandatory reporting and investigation of incidents to identify any changes that could improve workplace safety, and ensuring staff are off ered a debriefi ng and assistance such as counselling. e $2 million will be used to implement the policy including educating staff on identifying, preventing and respond- ing to workplace violence, and possibly assisting health facilities with acquiring security equipment, the province said. e new policy and fund builds on other steps to improve workplace safety for health professionals, including creating the Nursing Safety and Security Fund to invest in measures that improve safety and security for nurses in the workplace, and avoiding injuries by installing more patient li s and off ering training on safe patient transfers. Canadians cite work as greatest source of stress: Poll By Zacahary Pedersen Nearly half (47 per cent) of working Canadians fi nd their job and their place of employ- ment the most stressful part of their day, according to a recent survey by Ipsos Reid. Two in 10 working Canadi- ans (excluding self-employed workers) fi nd their place of work a "frequent" (11 per cent) or an "ongoing" (fi ve per cent) source of feelings of depression, anxiety or other mental illness. e survey also found 14 per cent of workers say their job or place of work causes these feelings "several times a year," while another 33 per cent expe- rience them "infrequently," according to respondents of the survey, which was conducted on behalf of Partners for Mental Health, a national charita- ble organization looking to change the perception of mental health and mental illness in Canada. Four in ten working Canadians say their work or place of work has "never been the source of feelings of depres- sion, anxiety or other mental illness." While Canadians of all ages and both genders are equally as likely to say their work impacts them in this way at least frequently, men (42 per cent) are more likely than women (33 per cent) to say their work never impacts them in this way, as are working Canadians aged 55 and older (44 per cent) compared to those aged 35 to 54 (38 per cent) or younger workers (29 per cent). "Even though 44 per cent of (older) workers say they have or have had mental health issues, people are still not talking openly about it in the workplace," says Jeff Moat, president of Partners for Mental Health. " is has to change for the sake of business and the long-term health of all employees." As one's income increases, so too does one's propensity to agree work is the most stressful part of the day, the survey says. Workers in British Colum- bia (50 per cent) are most likely to say work is the most stressful part of their day, followed by those in Ontario (48 per cent), Alberta (47 per cent), Quebec (45 per cent), Atlantic Canada (43 per cent) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (40 per cent), the survey says. The data also reveals there still appears to be a lingering stigma against mental illness in the workplace. One in three would be "likely" to have an open discussion with their boss about their mental health or illness. Two in three would not be likely to have an open discussion with their boss about their mental illness. Ontario residents (71 per cent) are most inclined to say they wouldn't be likely to discuss an issue like this with their employer, followed by those working in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (68 per cent), Alberta (67 per cent), British Columbia (66 per cent), Quebec (58 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (55 per cent). The online poll was conducted between April 18 and 24 with a sample of 1,058 working Canadians. In order to help drive change, Part- ners for Mental Health has launched the Not Myself Today campaign, which is designed to educate and engage Canadians on the issues of mental health in the workplace. The nationwide search for the most outstanding safety professional is on! Canadian Occupational Safety is now accepting nominations for 2013 Safety Leader of the Year. If you know an OHS professional who deserves to be recognized for outstanding leadership, we would like to hear from you. Visit cos-mag.com for nomination details. The 2013 Safety Leader of the Year is sponsored by: Jim Duthie Health, safety and environment manager Valeant Pharmaceuticals 2012 Safety Leader of the Year