Workplace Assessment

As discussed in the Role of Others, the employer’s partner is either a Policy Health and Safety Committee, Health and Safety Committee or a Health and Safety Representative - depending on the size of the workplace.

The employer with their partner must go through a process to identify risk factors, internal and external, that contribute to harassment and violence in their workplace. The employer and their partner decide how to conduct the assessment. Employment and Social Development Canada has a sample workplace harassment and violence risk assessment tool. It can be modified to meet the needs of a particular workplace.

When identifying risk factors the employer and their partner must consider...

• the culture, conditions, activities and organizational structure of the workplace
• circumstances outside the workplace

Risk factors will vary from workplace to workplace and can include:

• Factors related to the physical environment of the workplace, such as employees working alone or in isolated areas.
• Factors related to the clients that are being served, such as having clients who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Factors related to the work activity and culture, such as an environment that tolerates or promotes racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, or otherwise discriminatory attitudes and behaviours.
• Factors related to the jobs in the workplace, such as limited or inadequate training and resources.
• Other external or internal factors such as family violence leading to an employee being stalked or otherwise harmed or abused at work.

Within 6 months of when the risk factors for workplace harassment or violence are identified, the employer and their partner must develop preventative measures that as far as is possible...

• decrease the risk of harassment and violence in the workplace
• do not increase the risk of harassment and violence in the workplace

They must also develop a plan to implement the preventive measures and implement the preventive measures as set out in the plan.

The employer and their partner must monitor the assessment and update it if there is...

• a change to a risk factor
• a change that impacts the effectiveness of a preventative measure

The employer must review the assessment to see if it needs to be updated if:

• An employee files a Notice of Occurrence about workplace harassment or violence but ends the process before there is a resolution.
• A Notice of Occurrence is filed about an incident of workplace harassment or violence perpetrated by someone other than an employee or the employer.