Alberta needs to speed up OHS improvements: Auditor general • WorkSafeBC seeks input on interest policy • Shift work linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke: Study • Workplace bullying witnesses consider quitting more than victims: Study • Helping health care workers move patients safely
Alberta needs to speed up OHS improvements: Auditor general
EDMONTON — Alberta has yet to implement suggested improvements to its occupational health and safety programs made more than two years ago, the province’s auditor general says.
In a report released last month, auditor general Merwan Saher says Alberta’s Department of Human Services has so far failed to satisfy his concerns regarding workplace safety.
The report is a followup audit reviewing the progress of recommendations made more than two years ago on how the province can improve compliance of the law among high-risk employers.
“Simply put, we believe there could be high-risk employers out there that haven’t yet been identified and the implication of that is that Alberta workers continue to be exposed to otherwise avoidable risks,” Saher said at a press conference.
Two of five recommendations are on track, but three have yet to be implemented, the report said.
The department improved its proactive inspection program and controls over its legislated permit and certificate program, but it hadn’t defined or identified high-risk employers and workers. It also hadn’t implemented repercussions for those who don’t follow the law, the report said.
The province must also complete the Work Safe Alberta strategic plan and implement quality reviews for the Certificate of Recognition (COR) system, which awards employers that develop health and safety systems that meet established standards.
In 2011, 9,000 of Alberta’s 165,000 employers held COR status, according to the auditor general.
It takes time to apply such wide-scale reforms, according to Human Services Minister Dave Hancock, defending the progress of his department.
The government has increased the number of inspection staff, conducted blitzes on specific groups such as homebuilders and opened an occupational disease prevention unit, he said, adding it also plans to introduce legislation this fall that will allow inspectors to issue immediate fines to workers and employers when safety infractions are discovered.
WorkSafeBC seeks input on interest policy
VICTORIA — WorkSafeBC, British Columbia’s workers’ compensation board, is looking for input from stakeholders on its interest policy for benefits.
The current interest policy recognizes the circumstances in which interest is payable under the Workers Compensation Act. Policy also provides that interest may be payable where there was a blatant board error that requires a retroactive payment of compensation benefits.
At issue is a review of the policy options for when workers are entitled to the payment of interest on compensation benefits.
The Policy and Regulation Division at WorkSafeBC has prepared a discussion paper with potential policy options on determining entitlement to interest payments for stakeholder review and comment.
Stakeholders are invited to review the discussion paper and proposed policies and to provide feedback by Nov. 30, 2012.
For more information, see www.worksafebc.com/regulation_and_policy/policy_consultation/law_40_10_960.asp.
Shift work linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke: Study
LONDON, ONT. — Shift work is associated with an increased risk of major vascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, according to a new Canadian-led study.
Shift work is linked to a 23 per cent increased risk of heart attack, 24 per cent increased risk of coronary event and five per cent increased risk of stroke, found the study, led by Daniel Hackam, a clinical pharmacologist at the Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Centre in London, Ont.
Night shifts are associated with the steepest increase in risk for coronary events (41 per cent).
A team of international researchers analyzed the results of 34 studies involving more than two million individuals to investigate the association between shift work and major vascular events. Shift work was defined as evening shifts, irregular or unspecified shifts, mixed schedules, night shifts and rotating shifts.
The study is reportedly the largest analysis of shift work and vascular risk to date.
Shift work has long been known to disrupt the body clock (circadian rhythm) and is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, but its association with vascular disease is controversial, said the authors.
The frequency of shift work in the general population means the overall risks are high. In Canada — where 32.8 per cent of workers were on shifts during 2008-09 — seven per cent of heart attacks, 7.3 per cent of all coronary events and 1.6 per cent of ischaemic strokes could be attributed to shift work, found the study.
Workplace bullying witnesses consider quitting more than victims: Study
VANCOUVER — Workers who witness bullying can have a stronger urge to quit than those who experience it first-hand, according to a study out of the University of British Columbia (UBC).
“We tend to assume that people experiencing bullying bear the full brunt. However, our findings show that people across an organization experience a moral indignation when others are bullied that can make them want to leave in protest,” said Sandra Robinson, professor at UBC's school of business and co-author of the study.
The data used for the study was collected through two surveys of a sample of 357 nurses in 41 units of a large Canadian health authority. Prior research shows bullying is prevalent in the health-care industry, especially among nurses.
The surveys used a series of questions to assess the level of bullying in each nursing unit, as well as the individual experience of bullying of each respondent. The researchers then captured respondents’ intentions to quit their jobs in units where bullying was pervasive, asking them to rate their positive or negative reactions toward statements such as, “If I had a chance, I would change to some other organization.”
Findings show all respondents who experience bullying, either directly or indirectly, reported a greater desire to quit their jobs than those who did not. However, the results also indicate that people who experienced it as bystanders in their units or with less frequency reported wanting to quit in even greater numbers.
Prior research shows that intentions to quit are directly correlated with employees leaving their jobs. However, Robinson warned that even if employees stay in their roles, an organization’s productivity can suffer severely if staff members have an unrealized desire to leave.
“Managers need to be aware that the behaviour is pervasive and it can have a mushrooming effect that goes well beyond the victims,” said Robinson. “Ultimately bullies can hurt the bottom line and need to be dealt with quickly and publicly so that justice is restored to the workplace.”
Helping health-care workers move patients safely
REGINA — In an effort to reduce the significant number of muscoloskeletal injuries associated with handling patients, the Sunrise Health District has teamed up with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety to identify best practices for health-care workers.
Ergonomic specialists Aaron Unger and Carla Schatz are studying how workers move patients, and will assess and provide feedback on the most effective and least hazardous methods to use. Risk factors include: the amount of force needed to do a task; awkward postures or poses; repetition in job tasks; and the amount of vibration on the body or a specific limb.
EDMONTON — Alberta has yet to implement suggested improvements to its occupational health and safety programs made more than two years ago, the province’s auditor general says.
In a report released last month, auditor general Merwan Saher says Alberta’s Department of Human Services has so far failed to satisfy his concerns regarding workplace safety.
The report is a followup audit reviewing the progress of recommendations made more than two years ago on how the province can improve compliance of the law among high-risk employers.
“Simply put, we believe there could be high-risk employers out there that haven’t yet been identified and the implication of that is that Alberta workers continue to be exposed to otherwise avoidable risks,” Saher said at a press conference.
Two of five recommendations are on track, but three have yet to be implemented, the report said.
The department improved its proactive inspection program and controls over its legislated permit and certificate program, but it hadn’t defined or identified high-risk employers and workers. It also hadn’t implemented repercussions for those who don’t follow the law, the report said.
The province must also complete the Work Safe Alberta strategic plan and implement quality reviews for the Certificate of Recognition (COR) system, which awards employers that develop health and safety systems that meet established standards.
In 2011, 9,000 of Alberta’s 165,000 employers held COR status, according to the auditor general.
It takes time to apply such wide-scale reforms, according to Human Services Minister Dave Hancock, defending the progress of his department.
The government has increased the number of inspection staff, conducted blitzes on specific groups such as homebuilders and opened an occupational disease prevention unit, he said, adding it also plans to introduce legislation this fall that will allow inspectors to issue immediate fines to workers and employers when safety infractions are discovered.
WorkSafeBC seeks input on interest policy
VICTORIA — WorkSafeBC, British Columbia’s workers’ compensation board, is looking for input from stakeholders on its interest policy for benefits.
The current interest policy recognizes the circumstances in which interest is payable under the Workers Compensation Act. Policy also provides that interest may be payable where there was a blatant board error that requires a retroactive payment of compensation benefits.
At issue is a review of the policy options for when workers are entitled to the payment of interest on compensation benefits.
The Policy and Regulation Division at WorkSafeBC has prepared a discussion paper with potential policy options on determining entitlement to interest payments for stakeholder review and comment.
Stakeholders are invited to review the discussion paper and proposed policies and to provide feedback by Nov. 30, 2012.
For more information, see www.worksafebc.com/regulation_and_policy/policy_consultation/law_40_10_960.asp.
Shift work linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke: Study
LONDON, ONT. — Shift work is associated with an increased risk of major vascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, according to a new Canadian-led study.
Shift work is linked to a 23 per cent increased risk of heart attack, 24 per cent increased risk of coronary event and five per cent increased risk of stroke, found the study, led by Daniel Hackam, a clinical pharmacologist at the Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Centre in London, Ont.
Night shifts are associated with the steepest increase in risk for coronary events (41 per cent).
A team of international researchers analyzed the results of 34 studies involving more than two million individuals to investigate the association between shift work and major vascular events. Shift work was defined as evening shifts, irregular or unspecified shifts, mixed schedules, night shifts and rotating shifts.
The study is reportedly the largest analysis of shift work and vascular risk to date.
Shift work has long been known to disrupt the body clock (circadian rhythm) and is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, but its association with vascular disease is controversial, said the authors.
The frequency of shift work in the general population means the overall risks are high. In Canada — where 32.8 per cent of workers were on shifts during 2008-09 — seven per cent of heart attacks, 7.3 per cent of all coronary events and 1.6 per cent of ischaemic strokes could be attributed to shift work, found the study.
Workplace bullying witnesses consider quitting more than victims: Study
VANCOUVER — Workers who witness bullying can have a stronger urge to quit than those who experience it first-hand, according to a study out of the University of British Columbia (UBC).
“We tend to assume that people experiencing bullying bear the full brunt. However, our findings show that people across an organization experience a moral indignation when others are bullied that can make them want to leave in protest,” said Sandra Robinson, professor at UBC's school of business and co-author of the study.
The data used for the study was collected through two surveys of a sample of 357 nurses in 41 units of a large Canadian health authority. Prior research shows bullying is prevalent in the health-care industry, especially among nurses.
The surveys used a series of questions to assess the level of bullying in each nursing unit, as well as the individual experience of bullying of each respondent. The researchers then captured respondents’ intentions to quit their jobs in units where bullying was pervasive, asking them to rate their positive or negative reactions toward statements such as, “If I had a chance, I would change to some other organization.”
Findings show all respondents who experience bullying, either directly or indirectly, reported a greater desire to quit their jobs than those who did not. However, the results also indicate that people who experienced it as bystanders in their units or with less frequency reported wanting to quit in even greater numbers.
Prior research shows that intentions to quit are directly correlated with employees leaving their jobs. However, Robinson warned that even if employees stay in their roles, an organization’s productivity can suffer severely if staff members have an unrealized desire to leave.
“Managers need to be aware that the behaviour is pervasive and it can have a mushrooming effect that goes well beyond the victims,” said Robinson. “Ultimately bullies can hurt the bottom line and need to be dealt with quickly and publicly so that justice is restored to the workplace.”
Helping health-care workers move patients safely
REGINA — In an effort to reduce the significant number of muscoloskeletal injuries associated with handling patients, the Sunrise Health District has teamed up with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety to identify best practices for health-care workers.
Ergonomic specialists Aaron Unger and Carla Schatz are studying how workers move patients, and will assess and provide feedback on the most effective and least hazardous methods to use. Risk factors include: the amount of force needed to do a task; awkward postures or poses; repetition in job tasks; and the amount of vibration on the body or a specific limb.
