Occupational health and safety

On August 22, 2022, a new section of the Occupational Health and Safety regulation related to the refusal of unsafe work will take effect. Workers have the right to refuse work when they have reasonable cause to believe it is unsafe. The new provisions make it harder for employers to reassign that potentially unsafe work to someone else. This is...

Date: May 26, 2022 Time: 9 am to 4:30 pm Location: HSA Office, 180 East Columbia Street, New Westminster Each year in Canada, one in five people will experience a mental health problem or illness. Over a lifetime that number increases to 1 in 3. The cost of mental health problems or illness costs our economy more than 51 billion...

Dates: May 9-10, 2022 Lo cation: HSA Office, 180 East Columbia Street, New Westminster Workshop participants will discuss: rights and responsibilities of safety stewards role of the Workers’ Compensation Board occupational health and safety regulations, policies and guidelines hazard identification incident investigations worksite inspections role of a steward/worker rep on the joint occupational health & safety committee violence in the...

Data now being used in ongoing talks urging government to improve guidelines Almost 1700 HSA members have responded quickly to a short survey circulated by HSA over the last ten days, and the results indicate deepening concern about the impact of staffing shortages on both working conditions and patient safety. Furthermore, there are ongoing concerns about access to N95 respirators...

2022 is off to a busy start for HSA with preparations underway for contract negotiations for members working in health care and community social services. Contracts covering more than 20,000 members are set to expire March 31, 2022. Also coming up in 2022 is the union’s annual convention April 28-30, planned to be held in person in Vancouver. In the...

2022 Canadian Labour Congress Winter School One of Canada's best labour schools, held at Harrison Hot Springs, in January and February 2022. The CLC Winter School offers a wide variety of four-day, quality labour-oriented courses. To support HSA's ability to represent HSA members effectively and help build a stronger union, members can apply to take courses chosen to meet these...

BC’s Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced yesterday new public health orders for mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for all employees working in acute care settings. This includes acute care health care professionals who deliver patient care in the community, including in people’s homes. HSA members working in these settings will be subject to the order, which requires COVID-19 vaccination...

BC’s Public Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, today announced a new public health order for mandatory vaccination as a condition of employment for all employees working in long-term care or assisted living facilities. This new public health order will impact HSA members working in these settings. Under the order, employees will have until October 12 to be fully vaccinated and...

Health Sciences Association of BC has contracted Viewpoints Research to conduct an on line survey to explore members' priorities and concerns as your union begins negotiations for your next contract. Viewpoints Research an industry leader with 30 years of experience conducting research for unions and other progressive organizations. Using an experienced third-party professional research firm for this membership survey ensures...

The Canadian Labour Congress, in partnership with the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at Western University and the University of Toronto, has launched a survey on violence and harassment in the workplace. Violence and harassment in the workplace is a real, significant issue for HSA members working in the health and community social services...