NBGH celebrates occupational health and safety week

Photo provided

North Bay General Hospital
News Release

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The North Bay General Hospital kicked off North American Occupational Health and Safety Week Monday with an interactive “fair day” for staff. The fair featured interactive booths and displays for employees and volunteers to learn more about creating a culture of safety in the workplace.

The theme of the week is Head to Toe, Mind, Body, and Soul. “We are trying to promote a more holistic approach to health and safety where everyone practices safe behaviours,” stated Clara O’Reilly, Coordinator, Occupational Health Services. “We believe a culture of safety ensures a safe healthcare worker who provides safe patient care, and ultimately the patient becomes more aware and is involved in ensuring a safe environment for themselves,’ O’Reilly continued.

Jason Raymond, Coordinator of Employee Safety, Security and Emergency Response, says there has been a significant decrease in lost time workplace injuries since 2004. “Four years ago we had 21 lost time workplace injuries; in 2007 that number was down to six,” he explains.

Raymond credits this reduction to the hospital’s dedicated and ongoing approach to health and safety, which includes early and safe return to work efforts, health and safety system and policy/procedural development; hazard control and ongoing risk analysis. “With our scheduled move to the new, state of the art, technologically advanced hospital in 2010, we want to also have a new, state of the art, technologically advanced health and safety program in place,” he says.

The fair day was made possible by the participation of community partners and internal stakeholders. Displays included an ergonomics booth where staff could receive postural assessments; students from the Modern Hairstyling & Esthetics School provided massages, and interactive displays from Infection Control, the Hospital’s Joint Health and Safety Committee, and Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare. Staff also had the chance to win one of many prizes by spinning to win the “wheel of safety.”

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