Certified safety programs would help reduce high injury rates for health care workers.

(Winnipeg) – The Manitoba Federation of Labour is calling on the Stefanson government to commit to ensuring all provincial health care facilities in Manitoba are SAFE Work Certified within five years, after sobering statistics demonstrate that health care has among the highest workplace injury rates of any sector in the province. Over the last five years of available data, injury rates in health care were 50 per cent higher than the provincial average across all major sectors.

“Manitoba’s public health care workers take care of us, and we need to make sure that our government is taking care of them by putting the right workplace safety and health programs in place to keep them safe at work,” said Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour. 

Rebeck noted that SAFE Work certification has had a noticeable impact on the health and safety of workers in other sectors, with the construction, manufacturing and trucking sectors all reporting significant reductions in injury rates following the adoption of certification programs. He added that government already recognizes the value of safety certification by requiring it from firms that bid on provincial infrastructure contracts over $100,000.

Rebeck added that right now, health care employers pay among the highest Workers Compensation Board (WCB) premiums in the province because of the sector’s high injury rates. Health care premiums cost an average of $1.25 for every $100 of payroll, or 30 per cent higher than the average WCB premium ($0.95 per $100 of payroll).

“Making a real push to ensure health care facilities become SAFE Work certified would be a win-win for Manitobans,” said Rebeck. “Health care workers would suffer fewer injuries on the job and more money would go towards the public health care we all count on, rather than to paying high WCB premiums for preventable injuries.”