Position Statements

Position Statement 43 - Ending Violence in the Workplace

HSAA will strive to improve provincial law protecting all workers from workplace violence; and

HSAA will engage in elevating the broader education of workers and the general population on the issues related to violence in the workplace; and

HSAA will monitor the implementation of federal Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (harassment and violence), the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1; and

HSAA will support the campaign to secure a new, legally binding, International Labour Organization Convention to end violence and harassment at work; and

HSAA will press the federal government to support this ILO Convention and the ratification of an anticipated progressive convention in the future.

HSAA will continue to work to develop collective bargaining language that insists that employers keep our members safe.

Rationale:

HSAA is committed to the right of every worker to enjoy a safe workplace, free from violence.

Some workers are put at risk of violence needlessly. Statistics Canada

estimates there are about 350,000 cases of workplace violence each year in Canada.

Often employers do not take the necessary steps to prevent violence in the workplace and there needs to be more work done to campaign for better protection for workers.

Even the definition of violence in the workplace is sometimes a problem. Workplace violence is not limited to physical assaults. Any act where a worker is subjected to abuse, threats, intimidation, bullying, harassment, or actual assault should be considered an act of workplace violence.

Employers need to assess their workplace for possible risk factors for violence. They must also broadly interpret the workplace to include the space beyond the traditional workplace if employees are mobile and doing work-related activities offsite, or while they are in transit for work.

Assessing workplaces for increased risk of violence includes assessing the types of work that put workers at increased risk, including working under stressful conditions, working with unstable or volatile people, carrying out enforcement or inspection services, handling prescription drugs or money, or serving alcohol.

The risk of violence in the workplace can also be increased if the worker is alone when work is done late in the evening, or in the early morning, or if a host of mitigating factors exist, such as dealing with an at-risk population.

It is also very clear that gender is an issue in workplace violence, and that domestic violence can also impact the workplace, increasing risk.

Employers, beyond doing a risk assessment, also need to implement procedures to deal with workplace violence. This includes being able to do initial investigative reports if necessary and to have properly trained personnel to deal with complaints. In fact, all workers should have violence prevention and awareness training.

Workplaces also need to be able to deal with violence should the preventative steps fail. This means having contingencies on how to deal with violent perpetrators and ensuring workers are briefed on what to do in the event of a violent incident.

Approved June 2019