Canadian Occupational Safety

October/November 2016 7 Brink's ordered to change 'all-off' model A n investigation by the federal Min- istry of Labour has ordered Brink's Canada to immediately change its practice of both the driver and guard exiting the armoured vehicle at drop- offs and pick-ups. The ministry's report said the "all-off" model does not "suffi ciently mitigate" against the danger of employees being assaulted during a robbery attempt. "The model does not provide the employees with any information of suspicious persons or activities occur- ring outside while they are inside the customer's location," stated the ruling. "As a result, the employees have a diminished ability to avoid a potential ambush upon returning to the armoured vehicle." This ruling came just weeks after a robbery of armoured guards took place near the Mill Woods Town Centre in southeast Edmonton, which resulted in the shooting death of a suspect. Unifor, the union representing more than 1,500 armoured car guards across Canada, applauded the fi ndings of the investigation, noting the "all off" model is employed by many compa- nies in the armoured car industry. "This is a tremendous step forward for the safety of all armoured car work- ers. This decision has the potential to save lives," said Mike Armstrong, Unifor lead on armoured car industry matters. "We now look to the entire industry to eliminate the unnecessary danger associated with 'all off' crews." According to the Edmonton Journal, Brink's appealed the directive to the Occupational Health and Safety Tribu- nal Canada. Brink's did not respond to COS' requests for comment. Canada has witnessed more than 85 armoured car robberies since 2000, resulting in fi ve deaths and countless physical and mental injuries, said Unifor. Since 2013, each publicly- reported robbery has involved a two-person armoured guard crew, with many occurring in public spaces or near residential areas. Unifor is calling for all-party sup- port of Bill C-285, a private member's bill tabled by MP Peter Julian that would require new federal regulations for armoured vehicles. "There is simply not the kind of national standards in place that we need for training, equipment, crew size and health and safety regulations right across the country," Julian said. Mental health caregivers need self-defence training: Union T he Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) has launched a campaign calling for specialized self-defence training for mental health caregivers. "The reality is, without self-defence training, caregivers are at greater risk of becoming seriously hurt, or even killed, in the event of an attack," said OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas. "We are talking about potentially saving lives here." The call to action stems from recent incidents that have occurred at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care in Pene- tanguishine, Ont. There have been at least four serious assaults on staff since April, including a worker who was stabbed in the back with a screwdriver and sustained multiple injuries. Waypoint includes a maximum security forensic division that is home to patients who have been found not criminally responsible or unfi t to stand trial by the courts. Workers say patient-on-staff attacks at the facility are becoming more frequent and more severe; however, workers are not adequately trained to defend themselves. "The kind of training we receive now is useless if you ask me," said Local 329 president Pete Sheehan. "We are supposed to use CPI (crisis prevention and intervention) which teaches you therapeutic holds for when a patient becomes violent. But what happens when things escalate? Are we supposed to just sit there and get beaten to a pulp? We need proper train- ing that will teach us how protect ourselves in the event of an attack." CPI does not acknowledge the fact that, on many occasions, staff at places like Waypoint have to do takedowns and restrain a patient during an assault on another staff member or patient, said Terri Aversa, senior OPSEU health and safety offi cer. "In these cases, even defending-against-assault-on-your-own-person training is not suffi cient. Staff must be trained how to intervene to protect others," she said. Staff also must use force because patients out right refuse to comply with direction (such as take court ordered medica- tion), and the patients may need to be moved to other locations. "The nature of current training at Waypoint does not address the fact that the clients may be, at times, the highest risk group in the province who have previously committed serious acts of violence," she said. OPSEU has submitted a series of recommendations, including specialized self-defence training, to Ontario's Minister of Labour and the Minister of Long-Term Care. According to Aversa, the training should include physical intervention concepts and defending against strikes, kicks, bites, grabs, hair pulls, chokes and what to do if faced with a weapon. The training should also include specialized safe holds and techniques when using a forcible chemical restraint (such as court ordered medication). Waypoint did not respond to an interview request from COS, but according to a statement on its website, the organiza- tion met with the Ministry of Labour at the end of June to discuss health and safety and the union's recommendations. "We are currently working through each item presented to respond with what we have in place, research best practices and determine where enhancements applicable to Waypoint should be considered," the statement said. Thomas, who has worked in the mental health-care fi eld for most of his life, says workers need to protect themselves. "It saddens me to hear about the increasing number of assaults perpetrated against caregivers these days," he said. "Mental health workers are among our most vulnerable health-care workers and they deserve better tools to keep them safe." Brink's ordered Mental health caregivers need self-defence training: Union T he Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) has launched a campaign calling for specialized self-defence training for mental health caregivers. "The reality is, without self-defence training, caregivers are ® DENTEC - Due North Ad - 3.375" x 4.875" 091416.indd 1 9/14/16 5:06 PM ® DENTEC - Slice Ad - 3.375 x 4.875 091416.indd 1 9/15/16 12:19 PM

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