Another Shocking Instance of Violence in a Canadian Workplace May 28 2014
The alarming news out of Nanaimo, British Columbia is that a shotgun-toting man who walked into a sawmill earlier this week and opened fire, shooting four employees (two of them fatally), is a former employee of the sawmill.
This news comes less than one month after a former employee of a human resources software firm walked into a Toronto office building wielding a knife and proceeded to attack his former co-workers, stabbing four of them.
These horrifying instances serve as sobering reminders of the need for Canadian organizations to ensure that they have sound policies and procedures in place related to the prevention of workplace violence, and that employees are well-trained on them.
You may in fact have a legislative requirement to do so. Many Canadian jurisdictions – including Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and those regulated by the Canada Labour Code – have regulations specific to the prevention of violence in the workplace. Even where there is not specific workplace prevention legislation in place, all Canadian jurisdictions have occupational health and safety legislation that includes a provision requiring employers to generally protect the health and safety of employees, which could apply to circumstances of workplace violence.
Let Humaniqa help you put policies and practices into place to meet your legislated obligations, and better ensure a safe working environment for your employees.
About the Author:
Ehren Baldauf, CHRP, is the Vice President of Humaniqa.com, a national comprehensive web-based business solution that supports small and medium businesses in managing their human resources. Ehren is a Senior Human Resources Consultant with over nine years of HR experience. Ehren is experienced in assisting clients in both the private and public sectors manage their human resources function and aligning it with their organizations’ strategic objectives. Whether it’s providing expert advice on matters such as attendance or performance management, developing compensation strategies, or working with employers on labour relations matters such as collective bargaining, Ehren’s expertise and guidance has allowed countless business owners and managers to focus more of their energy on their business, while knowing that they are well supported when HR challenges are encountered.