No easy fix for violence at work (Editor’s notes)

Legislation alone doesn't seem to reduce violent incidents

The numbers are staggering. And, as outlined on page one of this issue, they’re likely just the tip of the iceberg. According to Statistics Canada, there were more than 356,000 violent incidents in workplaces across the country in 2004. It’s hard to put this number into perspective because this is the first time the agency has collected this type of data.

But look at it this way — that’s about one violent incident for every man, woman and child in the Halifax area.

The costs associated with workplace violence, both financial and emotional, are exorbitant. Even very minor incidents can leave deep emotional scars, impacting productivity and morale at work. But what can employers do to protect staff from violence? After all, the Criminal Code is quite clear — as is common sense — that it’s illegal to assault another person and there are consequences for doing so. Some jurisdictions, including British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta, along with federally-regulated employers covered by the Canada Labour Code, have specific legislation around the employer’s duty to protect workers from violence. And it’s boiler-plate language in health and safety legislation across the country that employers have a general duty to protect workers.

Though the report doesn’t give a complete breakdown by province, it does state that Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest rate of violent incidents at work (40 per cent), followed by Saskatchewan and Alberta, where 20 per cent of all violent incidents happened in the workplace. The best-performing province on this front was Nova Scotia, with 11 per cent. Since Nova Scotia doesn’t currently have legislation, and Alberta and Saskatchewan do, this suggests additional legislation placing the burden on employers to stop workplace violence isn’t all that effective.

Legislation wouldn’t have stopped Dick Anderson from walking into a government office in Kamloops, B.C., in the fall of 2002, minutes after being fired, and killing co-workers David Martin and Jim McCracken before turning the gun on himself. It wouldn’t have stopped Marc Daniel, an anesthesiologist at a hospital in Windsor, Ont., from killing nurse Lori Dupont before taking his own life. Unpredictable, irrational behaviour like that is tough to prevent, even when there are warning signs. If an individual is prepared to take his own life in a bid to get revenge for whatever wrong he thinks he’s experienced, there is very little that can be done to stop that person short of locking him up. And that’s not an easy case to make before an incident.

But that’s not to say employers are helpless, or can’t take steps to minimize the risk, when it comes to protecting workers from violence. Management should encourage workers to report any signs of trouble. They should conduct risk assessments, particularly if they’re in industries — such as the service sector — where employees are more likely to be involved in a violent incident. Recruitment practices should be tweaked to identify unstable individuals. Employee assistance programs should include help in dealing with anger and stress, and employees who show warning signs should be steered towards these programs. Employers should also be willing to go above and beyond to help employees, particularly when they approach management for help.

It’s a sad reality that violence can’t be eliminated in the workplace, much less society. But that’s not an excuse not to act. Everyone agrees that one violent incident in the workplace is too many. But even one less incident is a good place to start.

To read the full story, login below.

Not a subscriber?

Start your subscription today!