April 16, 2018
The Service Wide Committee on Occupational Health and Safety (SWOHS) met at 9:30 a.m. in Room 718, West Tower, 240 Sparks Street, with Don Graham presiding.
- Adoption of the agenda
The agenda was adopted. - SWOHS/JEEC Sub-Committee Report/Recommendations – Guarding Minds at Work
N. Huggins, Joint Employment Equity Committee (JEEC), Employer Side Co-Chair, provided a final report and recommendations from the SWOHS/JEEC sub-committee regarding its work on revising the Guarding Minds at Work Survey (GM@W) which is intended to be used as a comprehensive tool for Departments/Agencies to assess the psychological health and safety of the workplace. The Sub-Committee has prepared a revised version of the survey questions, the short definitions, the workplace factors affecting psychological health and safety, as well as the worksheets accompanying each risk factor. The sub-committee has added a new factor titled “Diversity and Inclusion” and has aligned it with the work of the Joint Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion.
As part of its report, the sub-committee has made three recommendations to SWOHS:- The tool should be reviewed in its entirety by the SWOHS Committee prior to accepting or approving the recommended changes;
- Prior to finalizing the revised survey, it is recommended that the Co-Chairs of the SWOSH Committee reach out to those at Guarding Minds at Work to review the work that has been completed. This will ensure that additions and changes that have been made to the original Guarding Minds at Work survey are in line with the intent and approach for analysis of the original survey.
- The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) should be contacted to determine if a scoring card can be developed by experts. This will ensure that the standard deviations and intersections that are of interest can be measured and calculated.
The Committee reviewed the work and thanked the JEEC for their collaboration on this project. In regards to the recommendations, B. Kingston commented that the original GM@W survey was never intended to go through statistical analysis and account for standard deviations, but rather, it was simply used as a measure of how true each statement is and to highlight where an organization may have problems and which factors need improvements. As such, it was suggested that the original scoring card could be modified by accounting for the new factor and questions. The Committee agreed that an independent review of the revised survey would be beneficial and it was suggested that the Mental Health Commission could be asked to conduct a review.
- Presentation: Net Gains: How e-Learning can Help - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
On July 21, 2017, the TBS – OHS Policy Unit reported to the Committee the results of its 2016 OHS Environmental Scan which was aimed at gathering data to assess the performance of Departments/Agencies across the Public Service with regards to occupational health and safety. One of the key findings of the report was the need for more centralized training. As a result, the Committee had requested that the Canada School of the Public Service (CSPS) and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) be invited to outline the various types of training that is currently being offered.
Chris Moore, Manager of Training and Education Services, CCOHS, provided a presentation on how CCOHS operates and how they deliver e-learning health and safety education across the country to all sectors and industries including the Federal Public Service. They have had partnerships with departments such as the CSPS, Health Canada, Transport Canada, and Parks Canada. The Centre is governed by a tripartite council comprised of government, labour and non-governmental employers who review all courses prior to being released. Currently there are a number of courses which may be of interest to the Federal Government, such as: Mental Health in the Workplace (five course suite), Workplace Violence, Canada Labour Code Part II, Federal Hazard Prevention Program, and Asbestos in the Workplace. All courses can be customized to meet individual needs and are offered online or in person if required. The Centre welcomes the opportunity to work with more Departments/Agencies and to develop learning materials specific to current priorities.
The Committee recognized the value of the Centre’s work but concerns were raised about the level of involvement bargaining agents and unions have on the development of their courses. It was noted that typically, it is employers who have approached the Centre asking for specific training tools to be developed; however, all courses are reviewed by the tripartite council which includes bargaining agents. The Committee stressed the need and the legal requirement to involve bargaining agents at the outset of any occupational health and safety initiative and to ensure their collaboration and input is present and visible. - Presentation: Hazard Prevention Program Partnership and Governance Tools - Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
Nathalie Crête, Team Leader, Hazard Prevention Program, and Guy Filteau, Deputy Director, Occupational Health and Safety, GAC, presented on the Hazard Prevention Program (HPP) Online Tool which was recently launched at Global Affairs. Over the last couple years, GAC has been developing and implementing a robust awareness program dedicated to health and safety prevention for all employees in Canada and abroad. This includes the launch of a HPP intranet page in 2016 which provides employees with tools, materials, and over 100 Safe Work Practices and Procedures (SWPP), as well as organizing promotional activities throughout the year in which managers and employees are promoting and engaging in SWPP. Most recently, in February 2017, they launched an innovative HPP Online Tool which is intended to streamline management of OHS resources and allow for the sharing of information between the 115 missions abroad and the 100 different OHS Committees under GAC. Currently this tool is only available to GAC employees; however, it was suggested that this model of information sharing could be applied across the Public Service as currently, many Departments/Agencies are working in silos. This model would allow for greater collaboration/partnerships, avoid duplicating efforts and centralize training and materials for greater consistency across the Public Service. As a next step, GAC will seek to engage in partnerships and take part in consultations to bring this model forward as way to standardize and promote the health, safety and well-being of employees here in Canada and abroad.
The Committee acknowledged the potential of a centralized tool such as this and has requested a live demonstration of the HPP Online Tool.
It was commented that although there is a need for all employees to have access to OHS related materials/tools, greater emphasis should be placed on getting OHS Committee members properly trained, helping them understand their responsibilities and giving them the tools they need because they will be the ones to lead the change across the country. - Questions following release of SWOHS communiqués
Following the release of several SWOHS communiqués to Departmental/Agency Co-Chairs, many questions were received from the community which have been put before the Committee for a response. The Committee agreed that these questions could be addressed secretarially. - Update from the Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace
Sean Ross, Co-Chair at the Centre of Expertise, provided the Committee with an update on activities currently underway at the Centre.
Since its creation in February of 2017, the Centre’s presence has grown and they have received a lot of positive feedback about the benefits of having a centralized portal on mental health in the workplace. An afternoon training event was recently organized for mental health champions in the Public Service which was intended to better equip them in performing their duties and to outline the various tools available to them. The Centre is currently working on developing a repository of documents and materials which will soon be available to the public. In addition to this, the Centre is also looking to establish a permanent location where people can come in and consult on various topics related to mental health; however, location and governance structure still need to be determined.
The Committee had questions about other mental health centres and initiatives currently underway and if this would be similar. It was indicated that while integrating others centres is up for discussion, the terms of any integration would require full bargaining agent support and collaboration. - Asbestos (standing item)
No update to report. - Legionella (standing item)
No update to report. - Round table
N/A - Next Meeting
November 23, 2017
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 12:05 p.m.