In Touch – A message from your Health and Safety Committee

Ebola
Your Health and Safety Committee has been following the Ebola outbreak in Uganda since the first 5 patients were reported in mid-September 2022. We have consulted with CUPE National and have been considering your safety at each evolution of the outbreak. As of the date of this bulletin, the outbreak is declining and still has not been detected in North America. An important point of information regarding Ebola is a patient is ill with symptoms before they are contagious through their body fluids. It remains the position of your Health and Safety Committee that PPE is available for use and should be utilized to prevent any number of viruses and bacteria, not only COVID. If anything changes in this situation we will communicate as soon as possible.

For more information or status updates on Ebola:
– WHO: https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/ebola-uganda-2022
– CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/uganda/2022-sep.html
– CUPE National: https://cupe.ca/ebola-virus-disease

Staying in touch
We have received several requests to update, confirm, and follow up on reports filed by you. When reaching out, remember to include the report number (ex. ICRP1234-22) in your email and send it to the address that corresponds to your base:

YUL – sante.health@local4091.ca
YYZ – sante.health@local4092.ca
YYC – healthandsafety@local4095.ca
YVR – healthandsafety@local4094.ca
Rouge – health.safety@cupe4098.ca

PPE
Personal protective equipment is available in the crew centres and on board. With the change in masking rules, we ask our members to consider the concerns and needs of other members of the crew. Avail yourself of the PPE available in the crew centres. While there is PPE on board, the first point of PPE collection should be at check-in at the comm centre.

Two Steps Following an Incident for Members
What happens if there’s been an incident and you feel shaken up?

1. FAM 2.1.4.2 RELEASE FROM DUTY What to know about a release following an incident:

• This is in our FAM and was developed in conjunction with the Policy health and safety committee.
• The goal is to provide time for sleep, take care of required paperwork, get any required medical care and to assess if you feel fit to continue duties.
• Only an IFS manager can give you a post-incident release.
• When calling crew scheduling, ask to speak to the IFS manager on call and let them know if you feel you need this release.
• This release is pay protected and there is no set length. It will depend on how early the incident occurs since the idea is for you to get a night’s rest.
• This release is done immediately following the incident and lasts for one sleep cycle.

2. Book off injury on duty.

• If you wake up and feel the need for additional time following an incident and you’ve already been given the release from duty.
• Call crew sked and book off injury on duty. You’ll call Medaire if away from your base.  Fill in the flight attendant injury report found at sims.aircanada.ca, see your doctor and get appropriate workers compensation and WIP forms filled out.
• Additional information and steps can be found by sending a blank email to the following email:  injury@accomponent.ca.