Salem Home in Winkler has officially achieved Safe Work Certification, becoming one of the first healthcare organizations in Manitoba to earn that designation. The certification falls under the province’s MASH initiative: Manitoba’s Association for Safety and Healthcare, a relatively new program aimed at raising safety standards in healthcare workplaces.
A new safety standard
For years, industries like construction and manufacturing have been deeply involved in workplace safety certifications, but healthcare has been slower to adopt those formal processes according to Karin Oliveira, CEO of Salem Home.
“In healthcare, it was never a big thing, and now it is,” she explained.
Salem Home’s journey to certification wasn’t a quick one. It took more than a year of preparation, involving detailed documentation, training, and readiness for a thorough external audit. That audit came in at the end of June and into early July, resulting in an impressive score of 86%.
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What it means for staff
Oliveira said that having the certificate on the wall is nice, but that’s not what it’s about. Ultimately, the certification is something that she hopes staff will be able to use to their advantage and feel empowered to speak up when they feel called to.
“Being certified means that we also want to demonstrate that we are ensuring that our employees are safe, not just the residents but the employees as well. And we’re committed to providing a safe workplace,” she said.
The audit process also helped highlight areas for growth — the kind of things that can easily go unnoticed without an outside perspective. “When you never have someone outside looking into your home, you don’t know what’s wrong with it,” Oliveira said.
She shared that the staff at Salem Home have embraced the news, and there are plans in the works to celebrate the achievement together. Oliveira credits their dedication throughout the process and is optimistic about what this means for the future.
“I’m very proud of my team... It’s just good to have good people that are willing to do the work, so [I’m] very thankful for that,” she said.
- with files provided by Salem Home -