In an effort to protect workers from workplace harassment and potentially violent situations, the province of Ontario has enacted changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) that go into effect today, Tuesday, June 15th, 2010.
These amendments require employers to:
- Develop and communicate their own workplace violence and harassment prevention policies and programs for the benefit of their workers;
- Assess the risks of workplace violence and take such reasonable precautions as are necessary to protect workers from possible 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 danger or violence.
