In partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health, OHSAH conducted a pilot study assessing safety culture and fatigue of the Minoru residential care staff, asking if ceiling lifts helped them work safer and leave their shifts less tired.

Background
In 2001, BC Healthcare unions and employers signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the goal of eliminating all unsafe manual lifts (OHSAH, 2001). As result, over the past 10 years, installation of ceiling lifts in residential care facilities across BC has increased. In 2006, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) introduced a Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Coaching Program (MSIP Coaching Program) at the Richmond Residence Care Facility.

Goals
The goals of the program are to practice safe patient handling, reduce musculoskeletal injury by optimizing the use of ceiling lifts, practice worker safety, and promote a blame-free safety culture for staff and patients in order to build a close working relationship between coaches, unit staff and MSIP advisors.

Starting early February 2010, the present safety culture, safety attitudes and worker fatigue was assessed through a survey, as well as an in-depth, four-day survey with Residential Care Aides (RCAs) The survey was to help provide a deeper understanding of the RCAs perceptions of safety culture and help support the focus of the MSIP Coaching Program.

For more information contact:

Tricia Romani, MPH
Program Project Manager, Occupational Health & Safety Culture Department of Mental Health & Organizational Development

T: 778-328-8043
E: triciar@ohsah.bc.ca