Spread of infection target of Ontario health-care workplace blitz

November inspections will check for infection prevention and control

Inspectors in Ontario will be focusing on infection prevention at health-care workplaces during a province-wide enforcement blitz throughout November.

Ministry of Labour inspectors will check for hazards affecting infection prevention and control. They will visit hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes and community health centers, according to the ministry.

They will check that:

•employers are taking precautions to protect workers

•safe work practices are in place

•personal protective equipment is being properly used and maintained

•workers are aware of infection hazards and trained to handle infectious agents

More than 500,000 people work at more than 6,000 workplaces in Ontario’s health-care sector. In 2010, more than 1,150 health-care workers filed infectious disease claims that were approved by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

Ministry of Labour inspectors will focus on hazards affecting infection prevention and control at health-care workplaces across Ontario in November.

Over the past decade, infectious diseases have gained prominence in Ontario health-care facilities due to a number of outbreaks such as norovirus, clostridium difficile (c.difficile), and influenza.

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