THE NURSES ARE COMING

As a reminder, ONA111 nurses pay a local levy on their dues, and that levy is refundable if you participate in two qualifying union activities during the year.

Eligible activities include:

• Attending a union meeting
• Participating in a political action
• Completing ONA education, including online eLearning courses

We are very close to the end of the year, so if you’re short one activity, an ONA eLearning course is an easy way to qualify. Courses can be completed online at your own pace:
https://ona.org/education/

Tracking & Proof

• Naomi, our Treasurer, has been tracking member attendance at events.
• If you complete an eLearning course or have other proof of participation, please email your confirmation/certificate to
  local111TR@ona.org

Refund timing

• Naomi plans to mail levy refund cheques by the end of March 2026.

Important

• Please make sure your home mailing address is up to date in AccessONA, as cheques will be mailed to the address on file.

If you’re unsure whether you already have two qualifying activities, or you’re close and just need one more, now’s the time to check and take advantage of this.

Most of us think of WSIB as something you use after a dramatic incident at work: a fall, a needle stick, an assault, a code that goes wrong.

But a huge amount of work-related injury in nursing doesn’t happen in one moment. It builds up over time from the same tasks and postures, over and over. In WSIB language, that’s a “disablement”: a work-related condition with gradual onset, not a single accident.

WSIB defines a disablement as:

• “a condition that emerges gradually over time”, or
• “an unexpected result of work duties”.

In nursing, that often looks like:

• Low-back pain from years of boosting, turning and transferring patients.
• Shoulder pain (rotator cuff tendinopathy / impingement) from hanging IVs, ceiling lifts, and limb positioning.
• Wrist and hand symptoms (repetitive strain / carpal tunnel) from med prep, IVs, and charting.
• Hip, knee, ankle and foot pain from 12-hour shifts on hard floors.

You do not need a single “injury date” for something to be WSIB. If your condition developed gradually and your work is a significant contributing factor, WSIB may treat it as a disablement – and that can open the door to wage-loss benefits, rehabilitation, and meaningful return-to-work obligations for the employer.

Could This Be You? – Sara’s Gradual-Onset Low-Back Injury

Sara is a full-time med-surg RN. Over a few years of 12-hour shifts, boosting and turning patients, and pushing beds, she developed chronic low-back pain (lumbar strain / discogenic low-back pain). There was no single “injury day” – just pain that kept getting worse after work and settled a bit on days off and vacation.

When her back pain flared, she did what most of us do: she used her HOODIP sick days as non-occupational. On the worst days, she couldn’t face another shift, so she called in sick.

Over time, those absences triggered the Attendance Support Program (ASP). She had to attend ASP meetings and started receiving “non-disciplinary” letters warning that her absences “could result in termination.” Her back was injured by the job, but now her attendance record and job security were on the line. WSIB absences do not count towards ASP.

Her extended health benefits only covered $450 of physiotherapy per year – about four or five sessions. After that, she was paying out of pocket to keep going. No one ever said, “This might actually be a work-related injury.”

In WSIB terms, Sara has a disablement – a gradual-onset lumbar injury caused by her work duties.

The 6-Month Rule (and Why It’s Not Always the End of the Story)

Because disablements creep up, it’s often hard to say exactly when they “start.” WSIB’s general rule is:

• You should start a disability claim within 6 months of the date you (or your clinician) first connected it to work – when you told your employer, or your health-care provider, that you believed your symptoms were work-related.
• But WSIB can extend that 6-month deadline in exceptional circumstances – for example, if you didn’t understand it could be work-related or didn’t know about the time limit. So even if you think you’re “too late,” it’s still worth a conversation.

In Sara’s case, once her ONA RTW Rep reviewed her history and linked her back condition to years of patient-handling, we filed a WSIB gradual-onset (disablement) claim.

If WSIB allows the claim:

• She isn’t limited to four physio visits a year. WSIB can fund ongoing treatment and rehabilitation, such as physiotherapy, chiropractic care, and massage therapy, as long as it’s reasonable and related to the work injury.
• Instead of burning through her HOODIP sick bank as “non-occ,” her sick time is preserved.
• The focus shifts from ASP letters and “excessive absenteeism” to safe, suitable modified work and a structured RTW plan under WSIB’s obligations.

If This Sounds Familiar…

If your pain or loss of function:

• Has built up gradually over time,
• Clearly flares with work and settles (at least somewhat) on days off or vacation, and
• Has you burning HOODIP sick days and using up your $450 of physio or other provider every year,

…it might be a gradual-onset WSIB disablement, not just “getting older” or “your problem.”

In future Weekly Updates, we’ll highlight common gradual-onset injuries in nurses (low-back, neck, shoulders, wrists/hands, knees/feet) and the everyday tasks that drive them.

If any of this sounds like you and you’d like to talk through whether WSIB might apply in your situation, email Brad confidentially at local111RTW@ona.org.

Bradley Woods, RTW Rep, HR&E Lead, Political Action Lead, local111rtw@ona.org, 437-286-0255

Last week we talked about how many nursing injuries don’t happen in one dramatic moment. They build up over time from repetitive tasks and sustained postures. WSIB calls this a disablement — a work-related condition that develops gradually, not from a single accident.

This week’s focus: wrist and hand symptoms — often labelled “repetitive strain” or “carpal tunnel.”

What this often looks like in nursing

• Numbness or tingling in the hand or fingers (often worse at night or after shifts)
• Hand fatigue, weakness, clumsiness, or dropping items
• Symptoms that flare with charting, med prep, IVs, opening supplies, pushing equipment
• Partial relief on days off or vacation — then recurrence with work

There’s usually no single injury date — just symptoms that slowly worsen over months or years of repetitive nursing work.

Why this matters
Wrist and hand conditions are a classic example of a gradual-onset WSIB disablement. If your work duties are a significant contributing factor, WSIB may treat it as occupational — even without a single incident.

Too often, nurses manage these symptoms as “non-occ”:

• burning HOODIP sick days,
• maxing out limited paramedical benefits,
• and ending up in Attendance Support conversations for work-caused symptoms.

A key point people often miss
You do not have to prove your condition is work-related before filing WSIB.

If you reasonably believe your condition may be related to your work, you are expected to report it and file a WSIB claim.

Once a claim is filed, it is WSIB’s role — not yours — to adjudicate whether they agree it is work-related.

Workers don’t decide entitlement.
Employers don’t decide entitlement.
WSIB decides entitlement — after the claim is filed.

Delaying because you’re “not sure” can:

• burn sick time,
• exhaust benefits,
• trigger attendance management,
• and create timing problems later.

Timing
For gradual-onset conditions, the general rule is that WSIB expects a claim within six months of when you first connected the condition to work. Even if you think you may be late, it’s still worth a conversation — WSIB can extend timelines in some circumstances.

If this sounds familiar
If your wrist or hand symptoms:

• built up gradually,
• clearly flare with work,
• are costing you sick time or benefits,

…it may be a WSIB disablement, not just “wear and tear.”

If you’d like to talk through whether WSIB may apply in your situation, you can contact Brad confidentially at local111RTW@ona.org

Bradley Woods, RTW Rep, HR&E Lead, Political Action Lead, local111rtw@ona.org, 437-286-0255