The National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace has now been released by the Canadian Standards Association, the Bureau de normalisation du Québec and the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC).

This year, Christmas Eve will mark the third anniversary of one of the most-publicized workplace accidents in recent Canadian history. On that date in 2009, five men working at a Toronto construction site fell 13 storeys when the swing stage they were on collapsed. Four were killed and the lone survivor suffered serious injuries. 

There are increasing calls for governments to use regulatory legislation to require employers to provide employees with a psychologically safe workplace. The most recent development in this regard comes from the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) through a standard prepared by it and the Bureau de normalisation du Québec. The Standard has been available in draft form since November 2011 and is expected to be published and released November 7, 2012.

When it comes to discussions of workplace incidents and discipline for safety infractions, it’s generally a serious world that OHS and human resources professionals inhabit.  Serious incidents causing worker injury are no doubt matters that deserve thorough investigation, remedial steps and appropriate government regulators’ attention.

On December 24, 2009, at approximately 4:30 p.m., a swing stage collapsed on a construction project at 2757 Kipling Avenue, Toronto. At least six workers were on the stage at the time of the collapse. Five of them fell approximately 14 fl oors to the ground.

The tragic death of four workers falling on a construction site on Christmas Eve 2009 in Toronto garnered nationwide media attention and quickly became known as one of the highest profile workplace accidents in Ontario, if not Canadian history.

A proposed CSA standard has been developed, setting out optimistic goals and processes for achieving “psychological health and safety” in the workplace.

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) released the draft standard on Nov. 1, 2011 for a public consultation that ended on Jan. 6, 2012. The final standard, which is expected to be published in early 2012, is intended to provide organizations with the necessary tools and guidance to achieve “measureable improvements in psychological health and safety” for employees. It prescribes specific steps employers should take to develop and maintain psychologically healthy and safe workplaces.

On October 4, 2011, the Court of Appeal for Ontario granted leave to appeal to Blue Mountain Resorts Ltd. in its bid to overturn a recent OHS decision issued by the Divisional Court.

All too frequently Canadian workers experience violence from criminal intruders into the workplace. New reports are replete with tales of retail and service sector employees in restaurants, stores, banks and taxis being seriously or fatally injured by crime. And despite the proliferation of OHS provisions designed to protect workers from workplace violence, OHS enforcers rarely, if ever, view violence from criminal intruders as requiring enforcement by orders or prosecution.

That may be about to change.

Heenan Blaikie's Cheryl Edwards and Jeremy Warning offer an analysis of the recommendations put forth by the advisor panel tasked to review Ontario's OHS enforcement system.