Health and Safety

One worker in Canada is injured every six seconds. And every 12.7 seconds, one is permanently disabled. Between 800 and 1,000 Canadian workers die each year from work-related hazards.

These are alarming statistics, especially when you consider that health care has been identified as one of the most dangerous occupations in which to work.

That’s why the Hospital Employees’ Union takes an active role in raising awareness and helping to provide safe working conditions for our members.

Most workplaces have local occupational health and safety committees that include representatives from different health care unions and the employer. To get contact information for your local, talk to a local union officer or a shop steward.

HEU’s Occupational Health and Safety department has a full-time staff representative who is a resource person for local OH&S committees. And HEU’s Provincial Executive has an active OH&S sub-committee that deals with a range of health and safety issues.

Our union also collaborates with other groups and organizations to promote safer work environments. Our representatives participate on the Occupational Health & Safety Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia (OHSAH), the BC Federation of Labour’s OH&S Standing Committee, and the Workers’ Compensation Board’s Policy and Practice Consultative Committee.

• To contact HEU’s occupational health and safety representative, click here.