Chair – MaryAnn MacKinnon
Member – Harpinder Sandhu
Local Office Minutes
- Not all offices are consistently holding regular OHS meetings and/or posting minutes to the shared drive as required.
- OHS reps in the office need to follow the WCB Act requirement, which is to meet and post minutes, even if there is nothing to report at the meetings.
In 2014 there were 11 WCB claims . in 2013 there were 17 claims made. There have been to date no telework claims.
Flu Clinics
35% of employees received the influenza vaccination in 2014, there was 31% participation in 2013.
Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program
Several local office OHS committee members and First Aid Attendants have been requesting the purchase of an AED for their office. AEDs are portable, safe and easy-to-use devices for assessing and restarting the heart in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest.
A corporate decision was made to enhance BC Assessment’s current health and safety program and support this request and AED devices were purchased in December for each office. The approximate delivery date is April 2015.
In order to be in compliance with WorkSafeBC requirements for AEDs, specific obligations must be met. As workplace AEDs constitute a piece of first aid equipment, Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) requirements apply. A new Policy and Procedure covering these requirements have been sent to John Madden for approval. Once finalized, a communication will be sent to all Assessors and Deputies, asking them to share communication, Policy and Procedure with their local office OHS Committee members and First Aid Attendants.
Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) – Homewood
A question was raised re the number of counselling sessions employees and/or eligible family members receive when accessing services provided by Homewood, our EFAP provider.
The number of sessions is based on industry standards for conclusion of a presenting issue, typically 4-6 sessions. This does depend on the subject matter presented.
If the provider is aware that ongoing or additional support may be required past the typical number of sessions available per our contract, Homewood will assist in transitioning the client to additional services and close the client file with Homewood.
Clients utilizing Homewood’s services will not be left without assistance during the transition period.
M/S/C