TheWorkers are exposed to more injuries and occupational diseases, and public health (DSP) managers in Quebec fear. Bill 59 relies heavily on the “self-regulation” of companies, and this is a risk that may end up costing more, says a medical expert specializing in this field.
On Thursday, they will give a brief presentation to the Parliamentary Committee to study this wonderful reform of the Occupational Health and Safety Law headed by Minister Jean Bouet.
The Canadian press has obtained a copy of the memorandum signed by distribution service providers.
Under current law, public health doctors can intervene in the workplace and oversee the development and implementation of company-specific health programs.
According to the new bill, public health doctors will only be able to intervene in the field to support workplaces at the request of employers.
“I have to wait for the phone call from my employer to go and help him implement his preventive program,” Dr. Geoffroy Dennis, a specialist in public health and preventive medicine, chief medical officer for the health sector, said in a phone interview on Wednesday. At work DSP in Montreal.
So the business owner can set up his own program or contact a consultant.
There are risks associated with this. Commenting on that, do not think that the work of a public and neutral institution can replace that. There are limits to self-regulation. Be careful. In the long term, in terms of system costs, this may haunt us. “
The employers who contact DSPs are those who are already more conscious and active in the field of occupational safety. But refractories and neglect will not improve the health and safety record, as Dr.s Denise.
It is also feared that DSP teams will lose 40 years of accumulated experience in this field, allowing them to set up relevant general prevention programs tailored to different activity sectors.
Public health managers are demanding to maintain the current powers that allow them to assess compliance and implementation of prevention programs in companies.
Bill 59 aims to reduce compensation costs.
About 700 people are part of public health teams researching workers’ health.
The Commission on Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) bears the costs for this circumstance of more than $ 70 million. That’s very little compared to the budgets of the National Council of Social Sciences.
The National Center for Economic and Social Sciences (CNESST) paid benefits totaling $ 2.22 billion in 2018. Then it accepted 103,406 occupational injuries and recorded 226 deaths. 251 workers have an accident every day.
According to data from the National Center for Social Sciences, mental injuries have increased 67% over the past 10 years.
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