Traditionally in Canada, there are three health and safety rights: the right to participate (joint workplace health and safety committees); the right to refuse unsafe and unhealthy work; and the right to know about workplace hazards. By the end of the 1970s, the right to know had been established in law across Canada, but it was not enough to cover workplace chemical hazards in particular. The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) was a project set up by the Canadian federal government in 1982 to address the issue. This article tells the story of how labor got the progressive WHMIS agreement(1985) and how the agreement has been implemented in the following years.
About nine in 10 Canadians support legislation that would protect patient confidentiality. However, the Canadian public is not consistent in its views regarding privacy. Data suggest that the public's attitudes to privacy, and particularly access to medical records, are heavily influenced by the context in which the situation is presented and potential benefits to the individual or to the public.
This article looks at the development in the increasing use of medical records in the Danish Courts as well as outside the courts in cases of personal injury. The Danish Supreme Court puts the presence of all material above the protection of the confidential relationship between doctor and patient. It is not yet clear to what extent the use of medical records will be accepted. This development raises questions regarding legal security for patients and sets higher requirements for medical and legal personnel. Medical records give important testimony in cases regarding personal injury. It is therefore important for medical personnel to be aware of the content of the medical record, as it might be used and interpreted in the courtroom in a different manner than intended.
