The province committing $8.5 million over three years for a new organization that will address workplace safety for health care workers.
The new agency will tackle high rates of injuries in the health care sector by identifying and promoting best practices that make working in the industry safer.
“Health-care providers are there for us when we need them most – they deserve safe and healthy workplaces,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, in a news release. “That’s why we are bringing employee and employer groups together and creating a dedicated and independent organization with a strong mandate to address the challenges they face. This new organization represents a significant consensus by all stakeholders that we must do more to protect the health and safety of the skilled health-care workers that all British Columbians depend on. Thank you to everyone who has worked to make this possible.”
Workplace injuries are on the rise in the health-care and social services sectors. According to WorkSafeBC, 2018 injury-claim costs were more than $107 million, an increase of about $11 million from the previous year.
The agreement for a new agency was reached in the most recent round of public sector collective bargaining and includes the participation of all health sector bargaining associations, the Doctors of BC, the Health Employers Association of British Columbia (HEABC) and the Ministry of Health.
A working group of these stakeholders – including representatives from HEABC, the Hospital Employees’ Union, the BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU), the Health Sciences Association, and the Doctors of BC – recently presented its report and recommendations for the new organization to government and health authority executives.
“This is an important step forward in reducing injuries and promoting safe workplaces in the health-care sector,” said Jennifer Whiteside, secretary-business manager at the Hospital Employees’ Union and co-chair of the working group. “A focus on safety in health care will improve the lives of workers while improving the quality of care.”
Michael McMillan, president and CEO of HEABC, who also co-chaired the working group, said: “Making our health-care sector safer for the people who work in it is important for everyone. When we reduce time loss and injury – it means health-care workers can better provide care to those who need it. This organization presents an important new opportunity for us all to work together to make real progress on workplace safety.”
The non-profit organization will be jointly governed by all health sector bargaining associations, health employers and the provincial government.