Ontario is setting up a new permanent team to help its’ 480,000 healthcare workers in the battle against patient handling injuries and other work related incidents.

The team will comprise 17 health care specialists whose duties will involve the enforcement of health and safety regulations. Other responsibilities will be emergency preparation and support of the ministry of health in occupational health & safety matters and advice.

"Our health care workers work valiantly day and night to protect us," said Labour Minister Peter Fonseca. "In return, we owe it to them to protect

them to the best of our ability. Health care workplaces have unique hazards in addition to those typically found in industry."

What a difference in attitude from Arnold Swarzenegger, the Californian Governor, as we reported in Issue 1-9 of this newsletter.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November 2008/03/c4212.html