SafeCare BC Signs Agreement with Northern and Interior Health Authorities
April 28, 2016 | News, Member Only
SafeCare BC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Interior and Northern Health Authorities in order to provide increased access to quality workplace health and safety education opportunities and resources to those working in the continuing care sector in B.C.
“We are very pleased to be working alongside Northern and Interior Health,” says SafeCare BC Executive Director David Hurford. “Collaborating with the health authorities is a high priority for SafeCare BC. We believe this agreement will improve our training programs and expand our outreach in the Interior and Northern parts of the province.”
According to recent WorkSafeBC statistics, health care workers in the continuing care sector in B.C. have one of the highest injury rates of any industry, at a rate of 9.3 claims per 100 person-years. This compares to a provincial average of 2.3 per 100.
A key component of developing safer workplaces is providing those working within the sector with the necessary training and tools to adopt safe work practices. In order to achieve this, the three organizations have agreed to:
- Promote collaboration and information-sharing between the parties on workplace health and safety initiatives, trends, and potential future projects
- Share workplace health and safety resources and tools between the parties wherever practical
- Provide access to workplace health and safety training and education opportunities as hosted by each party, wherever practical
- Provide access to workplace health and safety workshop facilitators, wherever practical
- Share information on upcoming workplace health and safety workshops and/or educational opportunities
- Designate a point of contact within each of the respective parties to facilitate collaboration and information-sharing between the parties
“This Memorandum of Understanding represents our commitment to address the issue of violence in the workplace,” says Mal Griffin, VP Human Resources & Organizational Development for Interior Health. “Violence can impact patients and family members, staff and physicians. But it is preventable. We are taking steps – particularly in areas of risk – to provide a safe environment for everyone.”
“This Memorandum of Understanding represents our commitment to enhance staff safety in health care within Northern BC,” says David Williams, VP Human Resources at Northern Health. “Workplace health and safety performance has an impact on everyone; patients and family members, staff and physicians. This collaboration will increase the resource base and capacity of our Safety and Disability Management professionals thus enabling the organization to increase delivery of education, prevention and disability management services.”
SafeCare BC is hosting its next Violence Prevention workshop May 9 in Richmond.
Click here to view the full Memorandum of Understanding.
SafeCare BC is plans on collaborating with others in the near future and hopes to reach similar agreements with the other health authorities in B.C.
