SARS Commission Report is Significant and Groundbreaking
9 January 2007 -- The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) is ahailing the final report of the Independent SARS Commission as significant and ground-breaking, and one that offers the government the opportunity to dramatically improve the safety of Ontario’s hospital workers.You can read the full copy of the report at the SARS Commission's website.
“If implemented, the Campbell Report will be as significant as the Ham Commission report of the late-1970s that provided the foundation of the current Occupational Health and Safety Act, and will provide a solid basis for the government to have a plan in place for the protection of nurses – including N95 respirators – when the province experiences a flu pandemic,” says Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN, ONA President. “The Honourable Mr. Justice Archie Campbell has produced an eloquent report that clearly demonstrates his thorough understanding of the issues that nurses faced during the SARS crisis.”
ONA believes one of the most significant recommendations is around the need for the use of the "precautionary principle" – that we must err on the side of caution when there is uncertainty about how a disease is spreading. The precautionary principle must be embedded in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and in all health-care policies and legislation.
“Justice Campbell notes that hospitals are as dangerous as factories and mines, yet Ontario front-line hospital workers don’t have the same level of health and safety protection in their workplaces,” notes Haslam-Stroud. “Front-line workers deserve to work in a safe environment while providing care.”
During the two SARS outbreaks, two ONA members died and dozens fell ill with the disease while caring for patients. ONA believes systemic problems including the lack of infection control policies, unsafe practices and inadequate funding contributed to the lack of protection of workers.
“During SARS, nurses experienced a steady stream of inconsistent, contradictory and incorrect information about transmission, infection controls and protective protocols,” says Haslam-Stroud. “Ontario was slow to respond to the outbreak, did not have an adequate supply of protective equipment, and employers did not provide appropriate training for equipment that did exist. This sort of situation cannot be allowed to happen again. The government now has clear recommendations on what needs to be done to prevent another similar situation.”
ONA submissions to the SARS Commission