The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, an independent, non-profit research organization, has released a report titled, Success is No Accident: Declining Workplace Safety Among Federal Jurisdiction Employers, criticizing the federal government’s efforts to ensure the health and safety of workers in the federal jurisdiction.

A new bill has been introduced in the Ontario Legislature that sought to amend the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act to include provisions dealing with workplace harassment and violence.
 
Andrea Horwath, MPP for Hamilton Centre, filed the proposed legislation following the release of the recommendations from an inquiry into the death of Lori Dupont, a Windsor, Ont. nurse reportedly killed by an ex-boyfriend who is a doctor at the same hospital where Dupont worked.

Bill 168, which amends Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace, received Royal Assent on December 15, 2009.  It will come into force on June 15, 2010. 

While six months (actually, now less than five) may seem to be a long time to prepare for the bill to come into force, employers should strongly consider implementing the changes necessary in their workplaces as soon as possible, as the process to make these changes  can be lengthy and time consuming.

Violence and harassment have no place in the workplace. That’s the message Ontario is sending by introducing legislative amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act that would, if passed, help protect workers from workplace violence and harassment.

The proposed legislation (bill 168) would, if passed:

• Require employers to develop a framework that would include policies and programs to help prevent workplace violence and harassment
• Require employers to take reasonable precautions to protect an employee from domestic violence in the workplace
• Allow workers to remove themselves from harmful situations if they have reason to believe that they are at risk of imminent danger due to workplace violence

“If passed, this legislation would help create a climate in workplaces across the province that says that workplace violence is completely unacceptable,” says Peter Fonseca, Minister of Labour.

Ontario is also launching specific measures to tackle workplace violence in the health sector. Two newly appointed Healthy Work Environments Champions will work to build a culture of workplace safety in health care settings across the province. The champions are:

• Rob Devitt, president and CEO of Toronto East General Hospital,
• Dr. Heather Laschinger, distinguished university professor and associate director nursing research at The University of Western Ontario, School of Nursing.

 “Our champions will help us implement the ministry’s ongoing strategy to make healthcare settings safe for nurses, physicians, and all who work in the healthcare sector in Ontario,” says  David Caplan, Minister of Health and Long Term Care.

The proposed legislative amendments would enhance the province’s existing Safe At Work Ontario Strategy.
To view bill 168, click here.