This week, the Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL) published its 2024 Health & Safety Report Card, awarding Manitoba an overall grade of C+, up from the mediocre D the province received in 2022.
MAHCP President Jason Linklater says there’s significant room for continued improvement, particularly in health care.
“A strong health-care system requires a culture of respect and safety, which means listening to concerns from staff and taking swift action to address them,” says Linklater. “There are grave health and safety concerns for patients, visitors and staff, particularly related to two issues: safe staffing levels and increasing violence in the workplace.”
On behalf of MAHCP, Senior Labour Relations Officer Cory Szczepanski (pictured third from right above) attended the launch event. Here are some key take-aways related to health care from the Report Card:
- Even though the health-care sector has had the highest injury rate of all sectors in the province for many years, it has been subject to very minimal WCB inspection activity—in the range of one to two per cent of all inspections. That figure increased in 2024, with six per cent of all inspections targeted at health-care facilities. MAHCP is pleased to see that WCB health-care inspections have increased, but we do have questions about the scope of the assessments and whether they go into enough depth to be meaningful.
- While the rate of injuries resulting from work in health care declined from 2022 to 2023, the sector continues to have the highest time-loss injury rate in the province, nearly 50 per cent higher than the provincial average and much higher than sectors like manufacturing and natural resources. The creation of the Manitoba Association for Safety in Healthcare (MASH) has the potential to motivate health-care employers to improve health and safety systems to meet the standards required for SAFE Work Manitoba Certification.
- Health care accounts for about one-third of all workplace violence injuries and the number of workplace injuries caused by violence has quadrupled over the past decade. In 2023, there were 1,800+ physical and psychological injuries due to workplace violence, or an average of five workers injured every day of the year.
“Our members and all Manitobans seeking care would benefit a great deal from their union receiving near-miss/personal injury reports from all health-care employers, especially as they relate to violence in the workplace. Together, we can assess risks and propose actionable solutions to mitigate them, which can help keep people safe.”
In Spring 2024, MAHCP conducted a membership survey, to which two-thirds of respondents told us they had seriously considered leaving their job in the past year. Many of these members also reported they had seriously considered leaving health care altogether, citing concerns of persistent overwork, exhaustion and burnout.
MAHCP is calling on the provincial government to step up and invest adequate resources into addressing the ongoing staffing crisis and improving workplace safety.
“We’re experiencing high vacancy rates in key areas and the staff who remain are working under extreme pressure, working alone sometimes when they shouldn’t be, and they’re facing risks stemming from serious social challenges like increasing mental health problems and addictions. Manitoba’s health-care employers need to address safety concerns, increase staffing where needed and fill vacant positions promptly because our frontline needs relief. Manitoba cannot risk losing anymore specialized allied health professionals, and health care should be safe and accessible for all Manitobans.”