President's Message

New regulation needed to protect workers

June 20, 2008

Imagine facing a 50 per cent chance of being assaulted or threatened at work. Imagine facing threats and verbal abuse daily in the workplace. That’s what some OPSEU members face daily.

A few weeks ago I wrote about violence in the workplace. In the meantime, our union has been working hard to research the needs of workers under threat of violence, and to develop a plan to protect them.

In an Oraclepoll survey we commissioned earlier this year, we found the following disturbing facts about violence in the community and social services sector:

• Almost half (43 per cent) of our members in the sector have personally been a victim of violence at work over the past year.

• Of these, more than 90 per cent have been threatened, and almost three-quarters have been subjected to physical attacks.

• Almost half (48 per cent) have witnessed a violent act against a co-worker over the past year.

The real, personal stories behind these violence statistics are profoundly disturbing.

We need to act now to ensure all workers are protected.

Ontario needs a new regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act that recognizes workplace violence as a hazard and compels employers to take steps to prevent it. The regulation should cover all workers and should define workplace violence as being both verbal and physical.

It should include specific measures employers must take to protect workers against violence, such as conducting hazard assessments; establishing violence policies that include prevention programs; establishing work practices and procedures to eliminate or minimize risk; and establishing procedures for reporting; investigating and recording violent incidents; and providing information, training, and support to workers.

We need this regulation now, before one more worker is seriously hurt on the job, or worse.

In solidarity,

Warren (Smokey) Thomas

President