CCOHS and Vubiz Partner to Help Ensure Safety of Healthcare Workers
HAMILTON, August 25, 2003 – In an initiative to help hospitals and other healthcare establishments improve the health and safety of their employees, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and Vubiz have partnered to create an information service for the Safe Handling of Hospital Chemicals (SHHC).
The service provides hospitals with help in the management of their health and safety responsibilities and in enhancing the health and safety of their employees, by providing electronic access to a customized healthcare collection of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs). These MSDSs provide detailed information pertaining to chemicals specifically used by the healthcare workers. The service, developed jointly by Vubiz and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), relies on CCOHS’ extensive collection of MSDSs provided to them by over 1200 chemical suppliers in North America. In addition, the service includes access to detailed chemical profiles produced by CCOHS.
Chemicals are a major safety concern in healthcare facilities. Tens of thousands of different products are used in Ontario facilities. With resources stretched thin, it has been a difficult challenge for hospitals to source, maintain, and retrieve Material Safety Data Sheets required to manage their health and safety responsibilities as well as ensure the most up-to-date information is available. Through the use of Taxonomer's content management software from Greyhead Associates (a user tool provided with SHHC), each hospital will have instant access to MSDSs specific to the chemicals they use in their facility and have the ability to further refine collections specifically for departments, units or even individual employees. The MSDSs are automatically refreshed as changes occur. This makes the most current, relevant information readily accessible to healthcare workers when they need it, potentially protecting them from workplace chemical hazards. SHHC is now installed and operational in North York General Hospital.
CCOHS’ President & CEO S. Len Hong remarked, “We are proud to be a part of this initiative with Vubiz that addresses a specific health and safety need in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. “ He added, “The beneficiaries of this service will ultimately be the healthcare workers, who will be equipped with ready access to information that could ensure their health and safety - an important measure that will take us closer to realizing our vision of helping to eradicate all Canadian work-related illnesses and injuries.”
Vubiz President Jim Rapino commented, "The Vubiz team is equally proud to be working together with CCOHS on this timely and important service that offers hospitals and other healthcare facilities a low-cost, high quality electronic MSDS management and information service, which includes our award winning web-based WHMIS training."