Hospital Workers Call for Safe Needles

On November 10, 2006 an Ontario Ministry of Labour inspector ordered Humber River Regional Hospital to provide safety engineered medical devices for the protection of its workers.

The hospital had requested the Ontario Labour Relations Board to suspend the order pending an appeal by the hospital.

The OLRB has denied the hospital's request and therefore, the hospital must comply with the implementation of safety engineered medical devices order by February 12th.

HRRH is still going ahead with its appeal.

"Not a month after Justice Campbell issued his SARS report, saying hospital administrators must exercise the precautionary principle, we find that Humber River Regional Hospital will not voluntarily provide Safety Engineered Medical Devices for its staff. Safe needles will protect the health and safety of workers and patients alike," said Sharleen Stewart, President SEIU Local 1.on, the union that represents service and clerical workers at the hospital.

"This is another example of a hospital turning a blind eye to worker safety," says Patty Rout, Chair of the OPSEU Health Care Divisional Council. "It's clear Humber River Regional Hospital would rather spend their money on legal appeals than doing what's right." OPSEU represents paramedical workers at the hospital.

"Nurses are being needlessly injured because they lack access to safety-engineered needles and sharps," said Andy Summers, Ontario Nurses' Association Vice-President. It's well past time for these needless injuries to stop. This will only happen when Ontario has a law that mandates safe needles in all health care settings. Nothing else will do."