Alert First Aid

Ontario Legislation

Workplace Violence & Harassment

This is not an official source of information. It has been assembled as a

convenience to students for reference and further study. Some extracts from

official sources such as Regulations are provided. These are not guaranteed to

completely cover all the material available in the Regulations. URL’s of those

official sources are provided to allow the full text to be consulted

For further information on this topic for Ontario see:

Workplace Violence and Harassment: Understanding the Law

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs/wpvh/index.php

Preventing Workplace Violence And Workplace Harassment

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/sawo/pubs/fs_workplaceviolence.php

Bill 168, Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and

Harassment in the Workplace) 2009

http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2181&B...

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The following is © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2009 – 2009

Occupational Health and Safety Act

R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.1

PART III.0.1

VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT

Policies, violence and harassment

32.0.1 (1) An employer shall,

(a) prepare a policy with respect to workplace violence;

(b) prepare a policy with respect to workplace harassment; and

(c) review the policies as often as is necessary, but at least annually. 2009, c. 23,

s. 3.

Written form, posting

(2) The policies shall be in written form and shall be posted at a conspicuous

place in the workplace.

Exception

(3) Subsection (2) does not apply if the number of employees regularly

employed at the workplace is five or fewer, unless an inspector orders otherwise.

Program, violence

32.0.2 (1) An employer shall develop and maintain a program to implement the

policy with respect to workplace violence required under clause 32.0.1 (1) (a).

Contents

(2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), the program shall,

(a) include measures and procedures to control the risks identified in the

assessment required under subsection 32.0.3 (1) as likely to expose a worker to

physical injury;

(b) include measures and procedures for summoning immediate assistance

when workplace violence occurs or is likely to occur;

(c) include measures and procedures for workers to report incidents of workplace

violence to the employer or supervisor;

(d) set out how the employer will investigate and deal with incidents or

complaints of workplace violence; and

(e) include any prescribed elements.

Assessment of risks of violence

32.0.3 (1) An employer shall assess the risks of workplace violence that may

arise from the nature of the workplace, the type of work or the conditions of work.

Considerations

(2) The assessment shall take into account,

(a) circumstances that would be common to similar workplaces;

(b) circumstances specific to the workplace; and

(c) any other prescribed elements.

Results

(3) An employer shall,

(a) advise the committee or a health and safety representative, if any, of the

results of the assessment, and provide a copy if the assessment is in writing; and

(b) if there is no committee or health and safety representative, advise the

workers of the results of the assessment and, if the assessment is in writing,

provide copies on request or advise the workers how to obtain copies.

Reassessment

(4) An employer shall reassess the risks of workplace violence as often as is

necessary to ensure that the related policy under clause 32.0.1 (1) (a) and the

related program under subsection 32.0.2 (1) continue to protect workers from

workplace violence.

Same

(5) Subsection (3) also applies with respect to the results of the reassessment.

Domestic violence

32.0.4 If an employer becomes aware, or ought reasonably to be aware, that

domestic violence that would likely expose a worker to physical injury may occur

in the workplace, the employer shall take every precaution reasonable in the

circumstances for the protection of the worker.

Duties re violence

32.0.5 (1) For greater certainty, the employer duties set out in section 25, the

supervisor duties set out in section 27, and the worker duties set out in section

28 apply, as appropriate, with respect to workplace violence.

Information

(2) An employer shall provide a worker with,

(a) information and instruction that is appropriate for the worker on the contents

of the policy and program with respect to workplace violence; and

(b) any other prescribed information or instruction.

Provision of information

(3) An employer's duty to provide information to a worker under clause 25 (2) (a)

and a supervisor's duty to advise a worker under clause 27 (2) (a) include the

duty to provide information, including personal information, related to a risk of

workplace violence from a person with a history of violent behaviour if,

(a) the worker can be expected to encounter that person in the course of his or

her work; and

(b) the risk of workplace violence is likely to expose the worker to physical injury.

Limit on disclosure

(4) No employer or supervisor shall disclose more personal information in the

circumstances described in subsection (3) than is reasonably necessary to

protect the worker from physical injury.

Program, harassment

32.0.6 (1) An employer shall develop and maintain a program to implement the

policy with respect to workplace harassment required under clause 32.0.1 (1) (b).

Contents

(2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), the program shall,

(a) include measures and procedures for workers to report incidents of workplace

harassment to the employer or supervisor;

(b) set out how the employer will investigate and deal with incidents and

complaints of workplace harassment; and

(c) include any prescribed elements.

Information and instruction, harassment

32.0.7 An employer shall provide a worker with,

(a) information and instruction that is appropriate for the worker on the contents

of the policy and program with respect to workplace harassment; and

(b) any other prescribed information. 2009, c. 23, s. 3.