MASH officially launches!

On October 31st 2023, MASH held their launch at the I.H Asper Institute.

HEALTHCARE SECTOR ANNOUNCES CREATION OF MANITOBA ASSOCIATION FOR SAFETY IN HEALTHCARE (MASH):

A new association led by the health-care sector will support safer workplaces for health-care providers and help prevent workplace-related injuries.

“The Manitoba Association for Safety in Healthcare will work in partnership with the Healthcare Industry to make workplaces safer for all health-care workers who provide Manitobans with healthcare, especially when they need it most,” says executive director Ron Van Denakker. “As health care workers, our primary focus is to provide safe and quality patient care, which cannot be fully achieved without taking care of the staff that provide the care, either directly or indirectly. That is why MASH’s work so important.”

The Manitoba Association for Safety in Healthcare (MASH) is an industry-based safety program that provides safety training, consulting services and certification for health care employers. MASH also supports workplaces by helping establish safety and health committees.

“While health care is provided in buildings and other locations, it is the people who we depend on to provide that care. As a system, we have an obligation to ensure that the people providing care are safe, from both physical and psychological harm,” said Mike Nader, president and chief executive officer of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and inaugural board chair of MASH. “We are looking forward to the focused collaboration between labour associations, healthcare, SAFE Work Manitoba and other key partners to identify, advocate, and support best practice safety programs throughout Manitoba’s health care system.”

MASH was formed by a pilot project, which ran over two and a half years and included the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA). As a result of this work, IERHA has become SAFE Work Certified through MASH and is the first regional health authority in Manitoba to achieve certification. SAFE Work Certified is the safety and health certification standard from SAFE Work Manitoba, a division of the Workers Compensation Board.

“We are thankful to have achieved SAFE Work certification through MASH, which supports our commitment to continuous improvement and a safe work environment,” said IERHA CEO Marion Ellis. “This achievement reflects many hours of work by our occupational safety and health team, and the collaborative efforts of workplace health and safety committees across the region.”

MASH is funded by a five per cent levy paid by healthcare sector employers. This model is similar to other industry or sector-specific safety programs in Manitoba. SAFE Work Certified employers are eligible to receive a prevention rebate of 15 per cent on their Workers Compensation Board assessed premium. The province provided an initial contribution of $1 million toward preliminary work that informed the pilot project and the creation of the association.

Van Denakker noted that MASH was established in partnership with SAFE Work Manitoba.

"The development of MASH means that many more workers and organizations will have access to healthcare-specific training and services that will make their workplaces safer," said SAFE Work Manitoba Vice President Dave Kramer."MASH is doing incredibly important work for Manitoba's healthcare sector by making it easier for employers to establish and maintain practices that maximize the safety and health of their workplaces, and we are confident that MASH will play a key role in elevating our safety culture in the healthcare industry in Manitoba."

Healthcare workplace injuries can be physical or psychological. In 2021, more than 136,000 days – or the equivalent of more than 500 full-time staff – were lost to workplace injuries in Manitoba. It is expected that the work of MASH will reduce this lost time through injury prevention, which will help to add capacity to the health- care system and reduce other expenses, such as overtime or agency costs.

MASH Team

P.S.

The event coverage on CTV