The province is introducing a number of initiatives to support safer workplaces for nurses and other health-care workers. This announcement was made by Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard and Health Minister Theresa Oswald.
“We acknowledge the risk for violence exists in all health-care facilities and we’re committed to helping protect nurses and other front-line workers, along with patients and their families,” said Howard. “To address this issue, we are pleased to partner with the Manitoba Nurses Union to strengthen the current workplace safety and health regulations to help prevent violence in health facilities.”
The current workplace safety and health regulations apply to a broad variety of workplaces in Manitoba and are not specific to the health-care setting. Regulatory amendments will require that all health facilities must work with health-care employees to develop a violence prevention policy and strategy including ensuring security assistance is rapidly available for staff should the need arise, Howard said.
A consultative process will begin immediately in partnership with the Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU) as well as other unions and partners to strengthen the regulations for health facilities. This process will help ensure employees have the information they need to address risks of violence in the workplace and determine how best to report, monitor and review incidents that do occur to learn and make further changes to prevent their recurrence, said Howard. The minister’s Advisory Council on Workplace Safety and Health will also be consulted.
Final recommendations are expected by the end of June 2011 and amendments for stronger workplace safety in health care will be in place by the end of August, Howard said. Changes to the legislation that guides workplace safety and health will also be considered through the regulatory consultation process, with the goal of introducing legislation in the following session, Howard noted.
“Hospitals are not only a place where people go when they need health care, they’re also a workplace for thousands of front-line nurses and other health professionals,” said Oswald. “We’re continuing to work with nurses to ensure their safety and help reduce workplace violence in facilities across the province.”
The province will also launch additional initiatives to help improve workplace safety in health facilities including the creation of a health workplace safety fund for equipment and other initiatives to improve security. Regional health authorities will also be required to ensure standard signage is in place to support a respectful environment for health-care employees, patients, families and other visitors to health facilities, Oswald said.
“We are pleased to see further steps being taken to improve workplace security and safety in health facilities across the province,” said Sandi Mowat, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union. “We appreciate the ongoing commitment from the Manitoba government to seek nurses’ advice on improving the work environment and improving care for patients across the health-care system.”
An advisory group on staff safety and security in health facilities will also be created including membership from MNU, regional health authorities and other health-care unions, noted Oswald. This will create a permanent ongoing process to review workplace security issues broadly in health care, determine how best to invest the new health workplace safety fund and identify further opportunities to strengthen security and safety for front-line health workers across the province, she added.
The ministers noted the new initiatives build 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.
