WorksafeBC have identified Health Care as one of the four main industries at high risk of serious workplace injuries and therefore contributing to the serious injury rate.
The Health Care High Risk Strategy (HRS) focuses WorkSafeBC resources on identified high-risk work activities within health care and community social services worksites. The primary focus is on work areas and occupations where direct patient care or services to individuals are provided and the interactions between the worker and the patient or individual can be observed. ¹
The goals of the 2021–2023 HRS are to:
- Reduce the risk of workplace violence and related injuries to health care and community social services workers
- Reduce health care and community social services workers’ risk of overexertion or musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) due to patient/individual lifting and patient/individual mobility limitations ²
The focus of the 2021–2023 inspections is to:
- Apply point-of-care inspectional protocols focusing on violence and MSI prevention in the following health care classification units (CUs):Acute care (766001)
- Alcohol or drug treatment centre (766002)
- Community health support services (766006)
- Counselling or social services (766007)
- Long term care (766011)
- Enhance the violence prevention focus in residential social services facilities (CU766017) to include the client/resident intake process, worker de-escalation training, communication methods, and workplace planning and design
- Continue to focus on employer communicable disease prevention activities in 2022
- Educate employers, workers, supervisors, and joint health and safety committees; build relationships; and encourage safe work practices focusing on violence prevention and MSI prevention ³
Results So Far
It is not very surprising that over the four quarters of 2020 WorksafeBC didn’t quite meet their target for inspections (85%). They carried out 258 inspections of their intended 305. Throughout this period, they issued 209 Orders, 78 Orders with potential high-risk violations, 2 warning letters, 1 temporary cessation of work order, 12 citation warnings and imposed no penalties.⁴
Throughout the four quarters of 2021 WorksafeBC met and exceeded their target by 126%, carrying out 374 of the intended 298 inspections. They issued 411 Orders, 140 Orders with potential high-risk violations, 2 warning letters, 1 temporary cessation of work order and 9 citation warnings. They imposed no penalties or stop work orders. ⁵
So far in the data processed for 2022 (Q3) WorksafeBC have inspected 322 of their 388 target. They have issued 282 Orders, 121 Orders with potential high-risk violations, 2 warning letters, 2 Compliance agreement orders and 5 citation warnings. They imposed no penalties or stop work orders⁶
Between the period of 2020-2023 there has been fluctuation in the number of orders, high-risk orders, warnings and citations issued.
Additional Resources
The Health and Social Services page of the WorksafeBC website offers many great resources that have been brought together by WorksafeBC. Guides, checklists, booklets, pdf’s and videos covering many relevant topics, including Home Care, Patient handling, Violence, Dementia and more.
Visit the page at:
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/health-safety/industries/health-care-social-services
1, 2, 3 – https://www.worksafebc.com/en/about-us/what-we-do/high-risk-strategies/health-care
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