As the global pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads around the world, the new normal is changing every day.
The United Steelworkers union is reaching out to share information and resources.
Many provinces are already asking people to stay home if they can and practise “social distancing” or “physical distancing” to limit the spread of the disease.
The reason for this is both to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to conserve much-needed capacity in our health care systems, in anticipation of a surge in demand for health services that we want to be able to accommodate. It’s an act of social solidarity for those who are able to do it.
While we do what we can, such as working from home and limiting social contact, let’s bear in mind that many workers, including members of the United Steelworkers union, don’t have that option.
The USW is calling for further urgent measures to protect and support workers. Check below for the latest news and updates. You can also sign up for USW COVID-19 updates, sent right to your inbox, every week.
The USW extends its thanks and appreciation to all public health-care workers and everyone who is working to keep our communities going – people on the front lines helping those who are ill and putting themselves at increased risk of infection due to the very nature of their jobs. These are the everyday heroes who are helping Canadians navigate this public health crisis.
- Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) toll-free line:
1-800-959-2019 - Public Health Agency of Canada coronavirus telephone info line:
1-833-784-4397 - Employment Insurance line for those in quarantine:
1-833-381-2725
Workers’ compensation
Ontario – Exposure reporting: coronavirus in the workplace
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Workplace exposure to coronavirus
If you believe that you may have been exposed to the coronavirus while performing your work duties, you should complete a WSIB Worker’s Exposure Incident Form (form 3958A).
When to complete this form:
- Intended for voluntary use when an unplanned workplace incident exposure has occurred or is believed to have occurred.*
- No diagnosis or symptoms are required to complete this form.
- The purpose of this form is to obtain information about the exposure incident experienced by a worker should an illness or disease occur in the future.
- Instructions on where to send this form are indicated on the form.
Where to find this form:
- The Worker’s Exposure Incident Form is available on the WSIB’s website:
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For assistance completing the Worker’s Exposure Incident Form please contact:
- Your WSIB Rep/WSIB committee member (if you have one in your local) or one of the H&S Reps in your local union.
*Some Examples of possible workplace exposure situations:
- Custodial worker sanitizing healthcare equipment in clinic areas, waiting and patient rooms where confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being treated.
- Grocery store worker stocking shelves or working at the customer check out in a store where it is later confirmed to have had an exposure of coronavirus (customer or
co-worker). - Transit operators providing public transportation where social distancing is challenging, semi-confined space.
What if I am diagnosed with COVID-19 as a result of workplace exposure to Coronavirus?
When an injury or illness happens on the job, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) provides compensation such as wage-loss benefits, medical coverage and support to help people recover and get back to work.
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Workplace issues during COVID-19
As of April 2, 2020
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Actions for employers to protect workers
There are a number of steps that employers can take to improve the health and safety of workers during this time. These include:
- Ensure there is current information on COVID-19 through communications with the entire workforce. Increased awareness of COVID-19 is essential.
- Employers should follow all the protective protocols that have been proposed by public health agencies.
- Alter work areas where people have frequent contact with each other and shared objects.
- Increase the distance between desks and workstations, as well as employees and customers, to at minimum two metres; or six feet.
- Promote frequent hand-washing hygiene, sneeze and cough etiquette, and most importantly, have workers stay home when they are ill. This includes providing access to handwashing areas and placing hand-sanitizer dispensers in prominent locations throughout the workplace.
- If a worker develops COVID-19 symptoms, they should be immediately separated from others and sent home without using public transit.
- Ensure frequent cleaning with particular attention to high-touch areas such as phones, computers, desks, kitchens, elevators, and accessibility buttons.
- Stagger work breaks and lunch breaks to allow a minimum number of employees in the break/lunch room at one time (apply principles of physical distancing). In the case of worksites with showers or common cleanup areas, shift ending times should also be staggered to reduce the number of people in any one area.
Actions for employers during this time
We ask employers to adjust work schedules and other policies to reduce social contact. This could include:
- Flexible hours.
- Staggering start times.
- Arranging for some people to work from home.
- Instituting or increasing the use of teleconferencing.
- Relaxing sick-leave policies to support workers who are self-isolating, including the suspension of the need for medical notes. This is also important to reduce the burden on an already stressed health care system.
- Prepare and have a plan in place for a likely increase in absenteeism due to illness among employees and their families.
- Accommodate employees who are experiencing child-care difficulties due to school and child-care closures.
The right to refuse unsafe work
While we are facing rather extraordinary circumstances during this pandemic, health and safety protections remain in place. This includes the right to refuse work that you believe is unsafe. If you find yourself in such a situation, you need to immediately inform your supervisor of your concerns and let your union representative know as well. They can help you through the process.
Any employee who believes that a condition in the workplace is likely to endanger their health or safety can refuse to work under applicable occupational health and safety legislation. Bear in mind that the work refusal process is complicated and the legal issues raised by COVID-19 in the workplace are new and unusual. If an employee refuses to work, employers should handle the situation appropriately and the income of the employee should not be jeopardized.
More resources on our website: Right to Refuse
Paid sick leave and leave of absence
Employees may be entitled to paid sick leave if provided for in their collective agreement or in a workplace policy. Employees who have symptoms of COVID-19 should be treated the same as any other sick employee. If paid sick leave is not provided for in an employment contract or policy, the employer is not obligated to provide paid sick leave. The employee may, however, be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) sick leave benefits while on their unpaid leave of absence.
An employee who has a family member who falls ill may be entitled to an unpaid job-protected leave of absence under Employment Standards legislation, such as family responsibility leave or compassionate care leave. In addition, new measures announced by the federal government will be available for those without employer coverage:
Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)If an employee is not symptomatic but is subject to quarantine, employers should not terminate the employee as a result of their absence.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (through the Canada Revenue Agency) is available for those who have not been laid off, but whose income has been disrupted and are without access to employer sick leave. This will also apply to those caring for sick family members or children that require supervision due to school closures. This benefit applies to anyone who is ill, who is self-isolating, or needs to take time off because of school closure. The application will be available in April.
Discrimination and harassment
Under human rights law throughout Canada, employees are protected from discrimination based on prohibited grounds. Employers should take steps to guarantee that no employee is subject to discrimination as a result of a misconception that they are the carrier of a communicable disease. Any employee who has been wrongly singled out in this manner of stereotyping may have a claim for prohibited discrimination in employment.