The Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) demands the “increased” use of N95 masks to protect healthcare workers providing care in high-risk places, “ including certain situations in cold areas ”.
In a press release released on Friday, the organization says it is indeed “sensitive to the reality of health workers who currently do not have to wear an N95 mask, because they are outside lukewarm or hot areas, but provide care in more risky situations ”.
A meeting held Thursday with several partners, including the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), “made it possible to discuss the most effective ways of protecting workers,” said the group. “Faced with the progression of the Omicron variant, the CNESST demands that the coverage and use of the N95 mask be extended to those who provide care in the most risky situations, including certain situations in cold areas,” continues -we.
Incidentally, the Commission recalls having “already requested, from February 2021, the wearing of a respirator (respirator) type N95 or higher protection for all health personnel working in healthcare in hot areas ”. As of March 2021, the organization also claims to have “extended this obligation to a lukewarm zone as well”.
Radio-Canada revealed earlier this week that the Legault government on Thursday acquired about 10 million N95 masks, the authorities already having 15 million of these masks in reserve. The government would not, however, for the moment intend to distribute this equipment to all workers, but would rather be willing to allow N95 in emergency rooms and family medicine groups (FMGs).
By email, the MSSS simply states “that an opinion on the subject has been requested from the INSPQ”. “We are waiting, then public health experts will be able to consult it and make recommendations,” writes the spokesperson, Marjorie Larouche, without going any further.
In “constant contact”
Over the next few days, the CNESST promises to be “in constant contact” with its partners, including the Robert-Sauvé Research Institute in Occupational Health and Safety (IRSST), the INSPQ, the MSSS and the unions, “in a spirit of dialogue and openness to work on the various concerns expressed and thus meet the challenges posed by the Omicron variant”.
Earlier, Thursday, the Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS), affiliated to the CSN, had indeed requested the intervention of the CNESST in this matter, hoping that all health workers and educational childcare services be fitted with an N95 type mask. “We expect movement very quickly on the part of the ministry, which must not compromise with the health of the staff and ensure the application of the precautionary principle,” insisted the president of the union, Réjean Leclerc.
In Montreal, the CIUSS du Center-Sud, for its part, got ahead of the Legault government by deciding on its own to recommend the wearing of the N95 mask at all times in emergencies and in hot areas, when providing patient care. COVID-19 and in outbreak units.
On the INSPQ website, it is stated that “wearing a respirator (respirator) type N95 is recommended in certain situations that may increase the risk of transmission, such as during medical procedures generating aerosols. It may also be considered in other circumstances, such as uncontrolled outbreaks in healthcare settings. ”
The Omicron variant is now dominant in the Montreal region, accounting for more than 90% of infections, and is spreading at lightning speed in the province. Sources confirmed to Press that the threshold of 10,000 cases has been crossed in Quebec in the last 24 hours.
With Florence Morin-Martel, Press, and The Canadian Press