Ontario's Bill 168 Now in Effect
Ontario's Bill 168 Now in Effect
Ontario's Bill 168 Now in Effect
Workplace violence and harassment have anegative impact the workplace.Newly introduced legislation,including Bill 168 that is now in effect in Ontario, Canada, defines measures employersare responsible fortaking in orderto protect employees from threatening work situations. When preparing policies and procedures to comply withthese types oflaws, it's important to consult with employees. Employees are an employer'snumber one resource for identifying workplace risks, as they are the ones performing their jobs on a consistent basis. It's important for employers to remember that the time spent creating policies and training employees is an investment in a safe workplace.
Protecting a company's employees needs to become a top priority.
Workplace Violence and Harassment
According to research done at the Queen's School of Business in Kingston, Ontario, a single instance of workplace harassment can potentially be:
"Just as harmful to an employee as being exposed to one or even two additional types of harassment. General workplace harassment - the causes of which are more difficult to pinpoint - can actually be harder for victims to tolerate than racial or gender harassment, which are typically rooted in bias. The study also reveals that Caucasians report higher levels of general workplace harassment than minorities, and, surprisingly, women are not more likely than men to experience either gender harassment or general workplace harassment."
For more information on the study, refer to the article "Workplace Harassment: Once, Twice or Three Times as Harmful?"
Ontario's Bill 168
The Law Times Article "Few Ready for Bill 168," discusses one of the reasons for passing the Bill:
"The Ontario government introduced the legislation in part in response to the murder of nurse Lori Dupont in 2005. Dupont's former boyfriend, Dr. Marc Daniel, stabbed her to death at the Htel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor, Ont. The facility was aware of repeated and escalating harassment by Daniel, an anesthesiologist, but failed to discipline him. The pair were scheduled to work together on the day he killed her."
Bill 168 is now in effect for all businesses in Ontario. This Bill is in use to help prevent workplace harassment and strengthen controls surrounding workplace violence. The Ontario Ministry of Labour has established a resource entitled "Workplace Violence and Harassment: Understanding the Law," to help employers understand the definitions of workplace harassment and violence, as well as clarifying employer responsibilities surrounding policies and programs.
An article from CBC News reports that, as of today, all organizations in Ontario are responsible for:
Carrying out a risk assessment to identify potential sources of workplace violence and harassment.
Developing policies to address workplace violence and harassment.
Training employees about the new policies. Being ready to investigate and deal with incidents or threats of workplace violence or harassment.
Disclosing an employee's history of violence to his or her co-workers.
Preparing to protect employees from domestic violence in the workplace.
Allowing employees to refuse work if they feel harassed or endangered by a co-worker.
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