Counter to CNESST Directive – MUHC is Sharing Employees Personable Symptoms with Co-workers

“Answers to these questions are confidential and employers must take the necessary steps to ensure their confidentiality,” CNESST.

Even though it is certainly appropriate to question healthcare staff about their ‘symptoms’ once they arrive at work, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) allows the employee’s responses to be viewed by their co-workers.

The MUHC Department of Infection Control created an open group questionnaire that workers are obliged to complete and sign daily.

The group questionnaire begins with an overall question, “Have you had any of the following symptoms in the last 24 hours.” Each employee then adds the date and time, print their name on a row and sign the document after replying yes or no to ten questions.

Questions range from; muscle pain or ache (myalgia), joint pain (arthralgia), runny nose with nasal congestion, new onset of diarrhea or vomiting, before concluding with “Any close contact at home with new onset respiratory tract infection?”

Once a worker completes the questionnaire, it is then passed or posted for the next employee to complete and so forth, providing the personnel on the unit with the opportunity to view their co-worker’s responses. 

The medical centre’s decision to use an open form challenges the individual’s right to privacy in the Quebec Charter and the Civil Code and is counter to the CNESST COVID-19 recommendations.

The CNESST COVID-19 webpage states, “Answers to these questions (How must the employer verify the state of health of the workers arriving on the work site?) are confidential and employers must take the necessary steps to ensure their confidentiality.” 

Workers can file a complaint or report a dangerous situation to the CNESST at 1-844-838-0808 and ask for an on-call inspector.

From the CNESST COVID-19 webpage on how must the employer verify the state of health of the workers arriving on the work site?

Employers must inquire about the health of each of their workers daily, upon arrival at the work site, by having them answer the following questions:

• Do you have any of these symptoms: cough, fever, difficulty breathing, sudden loss of smell?
• Have you been out of the country in the last 2 weeks?
• Are you in contact with someone who has COVID-19?

If a worker answers yes to any of these questions, they must stay home.

Temperature taking is not recommended because the results are unreliable, especially for people who work outdoors.

It is important to tell workers to go back home if they have symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.

Answers to these questions are confidential and employers must take the necessary steps to ensure their confidentiality.