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The Ministry of Labour’s extraordinary decision to charge the
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for violations of the Occupational and
Health and Safety Act sends a powerful signal to other health care institutions
that it’s time they address issues of workplace violence, too, says the
president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).
“The Ministry’s decision to charge CAMH sends a firm and clear
message to hospitals across Ontario that much more needs to be done to stop
incidents of workplace violence,” said Warren (Smokey) Thomas. OPSEU represents
more than 1,000 workers at CAMH.
“Hospital workers deserve no less than a safe job environment
where they can treat the clients they care for without fear of personal injury
or other forms of abuse. I applaud the Ministry’s actions and urge investigators
to crack down on reports of workplace violence wherever they occur in Ontario.”
He said the decision to lay charges against CAMH vindicates the
recent actions by OPSEU to draw public attention to the dramatic increase in
reports of violence at the Toronto facility. Bus shelter advertisements were
placed near CAMH to draw attention to workplace violence. They have since been
removed.
“I don’t regret for a moment that ads that were placed. They
spoke directly to the problems inside CAMH that the Ministry of Labour had, to
that point, refused to deal with.”
Thomas said his union is still frustrated that CAMH is moving
slow to meet with OPSEU to discuss implementation of safety measures such as
panic alarms that work throughout the campus, risk assessment protocols and
chronic problems of understaffing. |
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