WorkSafeNB Adopts New Privacy Measures
SAINT JOHN – WorkSafeNB has adopted new measures to protect the privacy of injured workers.
The changes come after breaches were identified by the Office of the Access to Information and Privacy Commissioner. All people affected by the breaches have been notified.
“At WorkSafeNB, privacy and confidentiality of information has always been a fundamental principle,” said Gerard Adams, WorkSafeNB president and CEO.
“Our employees strive every day to ensure personal information is protected and given, with proper consent, only to those who are entitled. These new safeguards will help us ensure that protection.”
As a Crown corporation and custodian of health-care information under the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act, WorkSafeNB shares information only in accordance with New Brunswick legislative requirements.
“We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Commissioner’s office,” said Adams. “We’re always seeking ways to improve our processes to ensure the best outcomes possible for injured workers and employers.”
The new privacy measures include:
- The appointment of a privacy officer.
- An updated privacy policy approved by WorkSafeNB’s board of directors.
- A review of policies and directives for privacy compliance.
- Creation of a committee, including legal and operational staff members, to monitor and address privacy issues.
- Quarterly reporting of privacy issues to the executive management team.
- Improved privacy awareness training to all staff (includes ongoing privacy training for all staff and privacy awareness orientation for every new staff member).
- Creation of a mechanism for staff to report concerns.
- Redrafting of the consent agreement on WorkSafeNB’s Form 67 ‒ Report of Accident or Occupational Disease and addition of a note on Form 67 and WorkSafeNB’s online privacy policy to advise workers that it shares limited personal information for the purpose of conducting surveys to evaluate and improve our health-care programming.
- Addition of a plain language guide for injured workers and employers regarding privacy on WorkSafeNB’s website.
- A link from WorkSafeNB’s privacy policy to the plain language guide.
All measures have been implemented, except one ‒ changes to Form 67, which WorkSafeNB is currently redrafting.