The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission of Newfoundland and Labrador said that an employee accessed injured workers’ records at the commission “without a justifiable work purpose over a three-year period”.
The breach of privacy was brought to the attention of the commission’s chief executive and privacy officer on Feb. 2 and disclosed to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. An internal investigation is ongoing to ensure that all instances of inappropriate access have been identified, the commission said.
The commission said it has internal processes that track access to injured workers’ records. These processes are being used to assist in identifying and reporting unauthorized access to records and will strengthen the commission’s privacy protection system.
“We apologize to the clients affected by this breach and to all our clients for any concerns that may arise from this incident”, said chief executive and privacy officer Leslie Galway. “We have zero tolerance when it comes to unauthorized access to confidential client information at the commission.”
Serving approximately 12,000 injured workers, the commission is an employer-funded, no-fault insurance system that promotes safe and healthy workplaces, provides return-to-work programs, and offers fair compensation to injured workers and their dependants.