Hello BCGEU Members,
Over the past few weeks, we have had members contacting us about their rights after experiencing a critical incident at work. When a critical incident happens, it’s important to consider psychological injuries and treat them as we would physical injuries. Similar to physical injuries, psychological injuries may have deep and lasting effects so seeking treatment early can help lessen those effects.
WorkSafeBC accepts claims for psychological conditions in two situations:
- When a psychological condition arises from a work-related injury, or
- When a “mental disorder” arises from a traumatic event or work-related
As publicly funded Health Care Aides, WCB applies presumptive coverage for a psychological injury, meaning the injury is assumed to be a result of your work unless the employer can demonstrate otherwise. This is positive because it lowers the barriers to accessing any needed mental health care.
In addition, if you experience a psychological injury at work, the Injury Pay Provision of your collective agreement (Article 22.8) should apply.
Reporting:
If you experience a psychological injury in the course of your work, follow these steps:
- Contact the LPN in charge and let them know you have been injured;
If you are unable to complete the day of work due to the injury, Article 22.8 applies so that you receive the full day’s pay;
- Report the incident to WCB. You should report the incident even if you don’t
end up filing a claim with WCB; the link to do so is here.
Should you choose to do so, there is Peer-to-Peer counselling offered through Care for Caregivers that you can access here.
If you need to submit a claim to WorkSafeBC for a physical or psychological injury, you can do so here.
WorkSafeBC can also provide support for critical incidents without submitting a claim, including counselling services. If you would like to access those supports, you can do so here.
For information about other mental health supports available to you, please click here; for information about Bounce Back, please click here.
If you believe your rights under Article 22.8 have been violated, please contact your local steward. If you have further concerns, please contact your local steward or OHS rep. If you have additional Occupational Health and Safety concerns, you can reach us at [email protected].
In solidarity
BCGEU OHS
Download PDF of notice here
UWU/MoveUP
Do you like this post?
© Copyright BCGEU 2024. All rights reserved.
BCGEU Privacy Policy
BCGEU Jobs