FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2007
OPSEU welcomes SARS
report recognition that hospitals are as dangerous as mines
or factories
TORONTO – Ontario Public
Service Employees Union (OPSEU) President Leah Casselman
welcomed Justice Archie Campbell’s final report today on
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which recognized
that hospitals and other health care workplaces are as
dangerous as mines or factories.
Casselman said the SARS
report accurately reflected the concerns of OPSEU members
who were among the more than 600 health care workers
interviewed by Campbell.
“Justice Campbell listened.
The report reflects our concerns. We welcome the
recommendations and request the McGuinty government
immediately take action,” Casselman said.
Specifically, OPSEU praised
the report’s recommendations that:
The precautionary principle
(the principle that health workers should err on the side of
caution, in the absence of scientific evidence) should be
enshrined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and
other relevant legislation. Building a ‘safety culture’ is
critical to making hospitals safer places. For this, more
funding, training and a change of approach are needed.
Optimal staffing levels for teams of occupational health and
safety experts are needed. Communications failures between
government and hospitals; and hospitals and workers, must be
addressed.
“Workers have to stay healthy
to do their jobs and protect the public. Worker health and
safety is just as important in a health care workplace as in
any other workplace, and this report recognizes this,”
Casselman said.
“Only the dedication of our
health care workers protected Ontarians from a much more
terrible SARS epidemic,” Casselman said. “This report
validates the need for health care workers to be protected
on the job so they can do the job of protecting the public.
OPSEU pledges to help implement the report and challenges
the government to do likewise.”
The union represents 29,000
health care workers including hospital professionals, mental
health workers, paramedics, community health, long-term care
and hospital support staff.
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For information please
contact:
David Cox, OPSEU
Communications 1-800-268-7376 x 8314
