Presumptive injury and the frontline
There is a growing recognition that certain workplaces can contribute directly to occurrences of post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI).
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Workplace injuries & mental health
It can be challenging to demonstrate that a mental health injury is a result of experiences in the workplace. . . We know that, overall, Public Safety Personnel experience higher rates of job stressors which can lead to occupational stress injuries. By virtue of working within the public safety realm, employees regularly interact with criminalized persons, traumatic, violent and/or graphic materials as well as have exposure to incidents that can lead to post-traumatic stress and related injuries.
These Personnel include not just first responders, but thousands of USJE’s members who work on the frontline and behind the scenes providing crucial operational, programmatic and administrative support to keep Canada’s public safety network strong. They work at the RCMP, the federal Correctional Service of Canada, Prosecutions and Court Administration Services, the Ministries of Public Safety and Justice, the Parole Board of Canada, among several other departments.
What is presumptive injury?
Presumptive injury refers to an injury that is presumed to have resulted from a situation at a workplace or the conditions of work.
Many Public Safety Personnel are exposed to workplace trauma and aren’t currently included in presumptive injury definitions.
Certain employees, such as first responders, are presumed to be vulnerable to post traumatic stress injuries (PTSI), and when such injuries are diagnosed by a qualified professional, their eligibility for Workers’ Compensation is presumed.
In other words, if you are in a certain occupation and incur a mental health related injury, it is presumed that the injury was because of the conditions of work. Consequently, most provincial or territorial legislation now recognizes the inherent right to Workers’ Compensation as a result.
However, there are many Public Safety Personnel that are exposed to workplace trauma who are not included in presumptive injury definitions.
The Union of Safety and Justice Employees (USJE), which represents nearly 20,000 federal employees who work in public safety and justice, is seeking to change the federal government’s approach to Workers’ Compensation —so that USJE’s federal public safety employees have access to the compensation they need and deserve.
