Taxi industry in Nova Scotia eyeing shields, cameras

from Canadian Occupational Health & Safety News

By April of next year, some Nova Scotia taxi drivers deemed to be overwhelmingly susceptible to workplace violence may have shields or cameras installed in their vehicles as a safety precaution.

Last month, Nova Scotia Environment and Labour released draft codes of practice for the taxi industry, which had been deemed a high-risk occupation, along with retail gas and convenience and small retail stores. According to the taxi industry draft code, a taxi company must conduct a risk assessment. If it’s determined that an employee working between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am faces the prospect of considerable on-the-job violence, a shield or camera must be installed in the vehicle, notes Jacqueline May, spokeswoman for the department’s oh&s division.

Under the new regulations introduced last April under Section 82 of the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, businesses who determine a risk of violence through a hazard assessment have the option of either adopting the codes of practice or coming up with their own by the end of this year. However, May is quick to point out that these codes aren’t yet finalized and that taxi-license holders have until November 9 to comment on them. In other words, the specific language dictating the use of cameras or shields may not be the same by the implementation due date.

“There’s been a little bit of misinformation reported on this and people seem to be finding it complex to navigate,” May says.

Steve Adams, a Halifax councillor and chair of the city’s Taxi and Limousine Advisory Committee, is one of those people trying to navigate the maze. “I was completely unaware of” the proposals, he says.

The current draft includes guidelines for the protective shield, among them: that the shields should provide full height protection, from the near floor to the ceiling; that shields are made from fire retardant materials and are capable of resisting dirt and vandalism; that they provide “for bullet resistant protection from the top of the front seat to near floor”; that they provide “for a minimum of bullet deflection from the clear portion of the shield above the front seat”; and, that a shield allows for “transfer of fare monies through a wide pass-thru on the right side, and this pass-thru device shall not permit entry of a firearm.”

Draft provides suggestions for safety camera
Similarly, the draft also suggests that the safety camera: not include a manual on/off switch; use a lens which provide a clear, non-fisheye image; be installed in a manner that doesn’t obstruct the driver’s view in any way, and; activate when any door is open “or upon meter activation, with a minimum of 1 image being recorded every 5 seconds within the first 60 seconds of the door opening,” with additional images recorded once every 15 seconds for the next 45 minutes.

May stresses that the codes of practice were designed to “reduce the burden on small businesses as much as possible” by giving them a set of procedures they can adopt quickly. Its contents — including the guidelines for shields or cameras — are not permanent at this stage, she adds.

Bob Richards, self-employed taxi driver with AAA Taxi & Limousine Service in Halifax, and member of the city’s Taxi and Limousine Advisory Committee, understands the risk that come with driving a taxi, such as being attacked or harassed, but doesn’t believe shields or cameras will do much to mitigate the danger.

“Why should I be forced to do something to my vehicle just to stay in the business?” he asks. “If somebody wants to get me … they’re going to get [me].”

In his 43 years of experience as a taxi driver, Richards says that he hasn’t experienced any significant incidents and downplays the danger involved. “I know we’ve had a few incidents, but it’s the same as any job.”