H&S Committee Prepares for Intense Lobby Effort
After reviewing the resolutions supported by delegates to the MFL's 50th Anniversary Convention, the health and safety committee is now concentrating their efforts on those requests that will enhance prevention efforts of joint committees to protect the health and well-being of workers, their workplaces and even their communities. When ready, the committee will present the requests to the Minister of Labour so that action can be taken on them.
The resolutions endorsed at convention covered a wide range of issues from increased and effective workplace inspections through to ensuring that workers receive appropriate education to prevent injuries and avoid hazards. In order to accomplish this, an increase in resources at the Workplace Safety and Health Division will be needed to hire enough inspectors to ensure a continued reduction in the Manitoba injury rate.
There was a clearly identified need to legislatively mandate physicians and hospitals to begin recording work histories of patients who have health problems such as cancer, heart disease and other serious health problems. This will be a great help in identifying sources of those diseases that kill so many Manitobans. Identification is the first step to prevention, one of the labour's significant goals.
The committee has also been directed to lobby all levels of government to give the same recognition that was recently provided to firefighters - fair and just compensation for occupational diseases. In some workplaces there is constant exposure to toxins and hazards that are known carcinogens which have a negative impact on the health of the workers.
A stronger effort than exists today is needed in controlling exposure through engineering, administrative and protective programs. Making this work will also require education and training of workers to eliminate or avoid hazardous chemicals in their workplaces.
On a second front, the MFL's health and safety committee has also received a strong mandate to research and inform workers of the health implications of working non-standard shifts, extended work days and non-standard shift patterns. Even though these three areas are often negotiated into collective agreements, workers need to know how to deal with their health and wellness while earning their living. This project will take some time to complete and we will be partnering with the MFL Occupational Health Center to accomplish our goal.
The committee also reviewed the new provincial health and safety regulations that will become effective on February 1, 2007. It is indeed a pleasure to have an easy to read and understand regulation that is all encompassing. Previously, joint committee members had to fish through 12 regulations that had many repetitive sections to determine what their responsibilities were.
The committee has completed a preliminary review of the new regulations and are starting their "to do" list of adjusting workplace programs to comply with new requirements and responsibilities.
Foremost among the new responsibilities is the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries, the number one cause of worker injury in all workplaces. This used to be lovingly referred to as the ergonomics regulation. In actual fact, ergonomics is the science of the human body at work and is used as one of the many tools to adapt the workstation to the worker so injury does not result.
There are many other 'new' responsibilities that will have to be priorized and added to the program. The sooner this work begins the safer workplaces will become and a reduction in the number of injuries will follow. Areas such as addressing violence against workers, preventing musculoskeletal injuries, issues related to working alone and in isolation, as well as working in confined spaces will have an immediate impact on injuries. Other areas address protecting the health of workers in a much more comprehensive manner than before.
As the MFL committee is able to gain a full understanding of the new regulation, it will prepare a frequently asked questions section for this Web site. Anyone wishing to post a question for the committee to answer can do so by sending it by email to Pete Walker at the MFL office. We will ensure that the correct answer is posted within one week.
The committee also looks forward to welcoming new committee members in January who will join the existing committee in working towards the reduction of injuries in Manioba workplaces and to help maintain effective and adequate legislation for the protection of all workers.