Every year, the HSA Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Committee awards the David Bland Award to an HSA member who has demonstrated leadership to improve occupational health and safety at their worksite and beyond.

The award was established in 2007 and honours the memory of David Bland, a vocational counsellor and HSA member from Richmond Mental Health who was killed at work by a former client. His death is an important reminder to take action to prevent workplace violence. 

By Tristyn Kellner
HSA Member

HSA is again calling on employers to improve supply of personal protective equipment and preventative occupational health and safety measures for health care workers working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In addition, all members are advised to ensure they have access to appropriate PPE, and to exercise their right to refuse unsafe work if the appropriate PPE is not provided.
 

Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace – Level One Mental Health and the CSA Standard

Dates:  October 8, 2020 or November 12, 2020
Time:  9am – 4:30pm
Location: Virtual WebEx – Details to follow

Each year in Canada, one in five people will experience a mental health problem or illness. Over a lifetime that number increases to 1 in 3. The cost of mental health problems or illness costs our economy more than 51 billion dollars.

COVID SAFETY PLANS
 

Dates: October 7, 2020 or October 29, 2020
Time: 9am – 4:30pm
Location: Virtual WebEx – Details to follow

A serious occupational health and safety issue related to PPE in hospital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) departments has been uncovered regarding the safety of certain masks and respirators in an MRI setting.

HSA has called on health authorities and the Provincial Occupational Health and Safety Committee to provide details on the steps underway to identify and remove any masks or respirators that may not be compatible in MRI departments, and to ensure they are not reintroduced into MRI departments.

BC FED OHS Centre free webinars for OHS activist during COVID-19

The BCFED OH&S Centre has scheduled free COVID-19 related online webinars as follows:

OH&S Committee role during COVID-19
Tuesday May 26, 2020 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.  

TO: HSA members working in Long Term Care

In an effort to slow the transmission of COVID-19 in BC’s hard-hit Long Term Care facilities, BC’s Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, issued two province-wide orders aimed at restricting movement of health care staff between Long Term Care facilities. The orders went into effect yesterday, Thursday March 26, 2020

COVID 19: UPDATE TO HSA MEMBERS

The provincial medical health officer has provided regular briefings to BC’s health care unions about the developing situation worldwide related to COVID 19 (Novel Coronavirus).

Information from the medical health officers is that Canada is dealing well with this virus.