THUNDER BAY – Health care workers need greater say over the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace, says a group of unions representing over 250,000 Ontario health workers.
In an open letter Tuesday, the unions called on the Ford government to take three specific actions: ensure workers are involved in decisions about the use of PPE, order industry to produce needed equipment, and ramp up testing for the virus.
More than 500 health care workers in the province have already tested positive for COVID-19 – a rate four times higher than the general public, the unions say. Signatories to the letter include the SEIU, CUPE, OPSEU, and Unifor.
“Our members are falling ill with this virus because they are inadequately protected at work and some of them go on to infect their family members, other staff and the patients and residents whose frail immune systems are in no position to withstand this virus,” the letter reads.
Andy Savela, who signed the document as Unifor’s director of health care, said the group wants to see employers be transparent with workers about PPE supply levels, and give workers a greater say in protocols that govern when certain equipment is used.
Specifically, Savela says workers interacting with patients suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 should be empowered to use whatever PPE they deem appropriate, if it’s available. Currently, he says workers are often restricted to using surgical masks rather than N95s, which provide greater protection.
“I think we’re all aware there’s a shortage of PPE, and the country and the province are scrambling to obtain more,” he acknowledges. “But you’ve got to put yourself in the shoes of the health care worker who – again, only in situations where they’re in contact with a confirmed or suspected case – [should have] the ability to use the best PPE possible in those circumstances.”
Savela, a former health care worker who lives in Thunder Bay, says he’s particularly worried about those like Personal Support Workers who often face more precarious work situations, with fewer protections.
“We were already in a crisis years ago,” he says. “That’s related to poor compensation, the expectations placed on these people, and a totally unmanageable patient-to-staff ratio.”
Unions also called on Premier Doug Ford to take stronger action on manufacturing badly-needed equipment like ventilators, testing kits, and PPE like gloves, gowns, face shields, and N95 masks. Ford has touted the province’s manufacturing capacity in responding to the crisis, though governments are currently relying on voluntary action from industry, while offering some financial supports.
“The Chinese government established working factories in two weeks to meet the Covid-19 challenge,” the unions’ letter reads. “We ask that your government immediately order Ontario industry to urgently produce these vital products.”
Unions also point to Ontario’s rate of testing, which has begun to lag behind that of other provinces. They call on the province to “significantly step up” testing, particularly for vulnerable populations like long-term care residents and hospital patients. They add that jurisdictions with higher rates of testing have had lower rates of mortality.
Savela says the unions’ demands come out of health workers’ genuine concern for their own wellbeing, while he adds the consequences of not properly protecting frontline workers could be disastrous for everyone.
“I can tell you that health care workers are nervous – they’re nervous for themselves, their families,” he says. “They’re working out of responsibility to their clients, fulfilling their duty. But I’ve had some really tough conversations with people working in environments where they just didn’t feel safe. I could hear the angst in their voices.”
