Are You Ready? The OHSA has been amended...

Did you know the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) has been amended with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace? Employers in Ontario with more than five employees are required to implement new programs and procedures with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace, in order to become compliant before the mandated date of June 15, 2010.

To see a full copy of the new OHSA Legislation, click on:

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

I know what you’re thinking; more Government imposed rules and regulations that will cost my organization money and take time to implement. Many employers believe violence and harassment are not issues in their organizations and that they do not occur. But, 17% of all self-reported incidents of violent victimization, including sexual assault, robbery and physical assault, took place in the workplace. (StatsCan, 2007).

So, what does the new legislation mean for you other than a safer, more respectful work environment? It means your company must implement new policies (one for each of violence and harassment – and no, your current human rights policy does not make you compliant), procedures, measures and programs to prevent and manage these risks. And, it all must be in place by June 15th of this year.

Failure to comply with the new legislative requirements dealing with workplace violence and harassment could expose your business, management and Board of Directors to significant financial penalties and in some cases jail sentences.

bizAssessments’ Harassment Education Advisory Response Team (HEART)^TM Program and Manual were designed to give your organization the tools, skills and strategies to meet these legislative requirements and objectives as well as to foster a workplace climate of ZERO TOLERANCE for violence and harassment. The Program and Manual are cost-effective and bizAssessments handles implementation so you don’t have to.

The safety and security of employees in the workplace is essential to promoting a productive, harmonious and successful organization. The HEART^TM Program and Manual can assist your businesses in addressing the sensitive and complex violence and harassment issues that may prevail in many work environments.