WorkSafeNB rehab centre's 'culture of fear' stifles staff, union says

A culture of fear at WorkSafeNB's Workers' Rehabilitation Centre is hurting clients and staff, according to a national union leader. 

"The same tactics they use on injured workers, they also use on employees," said Michael Davidson, national representative at the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

"Staff are scared to death to speak out on behalf of injured workers," he said, based on discussions with members of CUPE Local 946, which represents the majority of the unionized workers at the rehabilitation facility in Grand Bay-Westfield, as well as a small number of employees at the main Saint John offices of WorkSafeNB.

"There's a culture of fear in there, that you'll lose your job if you speak out against the organization, or if you're critical of the organization, or if you talk about changes that need to be made," he said.

Safety concerns after weapons arrest

Staff are also scared for their own safety, said Davidson.

Two months ago, Saint John police arrested a 52-year-old man at the rehabilitation centre for possession of a weapon and uttering threats. 

Police said the man was overheard making a threat toward the staff and facility.

He's due to appear in court next month. 

"When those events happen, there needs to be an investigation," said Davidson. 

"What leads someone to get to that point?"

Proud of employees

WorkSafeNB is concerned with the safety and security of all staff members and clients and is "constantly evaluating measures to ensure their protection and well-being," spokesperson Angela Kippers said in an emailed statement.

WorkSafeNB is also proud of its employees "and the part they play in improving the situation of injured workers, and in fact preventing injuries in the first place," said Kippers.

"We take our role very seriously," she said.

Family has called for public inquiry

Earlier this week, the family of an injured worker who committed suicide seven months after being discharged from the Workers' Rehabilitation Centre called for a public inquiry into how WorkSafeNB manages mental illness.

Rachel McKinnon, who found the body of her hanged father, Reginald Leblanc, said he was a happy, kind, productive man until he was demoralized by WorkSafeNB and his treatment at the centre.

A recent decision from the Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal about Leblanc's case also raised critical concerns about a lack of psychiatric treatment at the rehabilitation centre

It granted Leblanc's widow's appeal for survivor benefits, ruling his death a compensable suicide.

Sandra Leblanc says her husband's physical and mental health deteriorated rapidly while undergoing treatment at the centre in Grand Bay-Westfield, a three-hour drive from his home community near Richibucto.

She feared her husband would lash out, after being discharged, she said.

"I had all the guns removed from my house with that fear, that he would finally snap and take it out on his employer and WorkSafe," she said. 

Report documents 'horror stories'

WorkSafeNB's Rehabilitation Centre has a pervasive, negative reputation, according to a recent report submitted to the provincial government, entitled Support Team for Injured Workers and Families Collaborative Group Process Report.

"People did tell us their experiences in Grand Bay," said Sandra DeVink, the former acting chair of the School of Social Work at St. Thomas University, who ran the project.

Her staff interviewed two dozen injured workers and their families around the province and reported in March to the the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour.

In consulting with injured workers, it appears there is a pervasive, and quite negative perception of the Grand Bay rehabilitation centre itself amongst many injured workers.- Support Team for Injured Workers and Families Collaborative Group Process Report

"In consulting with injured workers, it appears there is a pervasive, and quite negative perception of the Grand Bay rehabilitation centre itself amongst many injured workers," DeVink's report states.

"Even injured workers who had never been to the facility before told us about having heard what was commonly referred to as 'horror stories.'"

Some injured workers reported that they had abused analgesic creams or narcotics just to get through treatment and some reported having suicidal thoughts as a result of their stay there.

"They also expressed a need for more follow-up care, which includes at-home care and services." said DeVink.

Recommended changes

She contends the New Brunswick government should help organize some ongoing volunteer support groups.

She's also calling for a stand-alone organization to help with crisis intervention and mental health advocacy.

DeVink says the provincial government has made a real effort to gather the voices of injured workers and protect them from further hardship.

Part of her mandate was to provide comfort, services and trauma work for the families who did agree to present their stories last year to the legislative review committee. 

All that work stopped in August. 

While some critics says it's time to shut down WorkSafeNB's Rehabilitation Centre, CUPE's Michael Davidson says that would only hurt injured workers. 

He says the facility could be a model of excellence. 

"We used to have some of the top medical professionals from across North America and even world-wide," said Davidson.

"You have to understand that occupational medicine is a specialized expertise. To be able to treat injured workers to the point where they can return to the workplace and cope properly in life, that's a specialized medical expertise," he said.

"A lot of the services that were offered in that facility have been dismantled. And I think they need to be restored."