Harassment the first stage in workplace violence

By Bruce Corcoran, the Chatham Daily News

The provincial government should take strong note if people are saying a proposed amendment to the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) isn’t strong enough.

Bill 168 is an amendment to the OHSA designed to protect workers from violence and harassment.

Except there are people who believe it comes up short.

In particular, Catherine Kedziora, daughter of Theresa Vince, says there aren’t enough protections in Bill 168 addressing harassment.

Vince was murdered 13 years ago by her boss.

Kedziora has applied to make a presentation to the provincial standing committee on social policy to express her concerns.

Very sobering is what Keziora told this newspaper.

“The way the bill stands now, it wouldn’t have helped my mother.”

Michelle Schryer, executive director of the Chatham-Kent Sexual Assault Crisis Centre, agrees. She too will speak to the standing committee.

Often, harassment in some form, is the precursor to workplace violence. It could be verbal abuse and insults against a coworker paving the way for outright fisticuffs, or sexual commentary as the first step towards unwanted sexual advances, and worse.

Harassment in the workplace is an occupational danger that can end in death. What happened to Vince here and to Lori Dupont in Windsor are tragedies -preventable ones.

At least the government is finally taking action to improve the OHSA with the proposed bill.

Through all this, there must also remain some form of balance. To go too far with workplace restrictions could unfairly inhibit the rights of people to converse on the job, not in terms of direct harassment to an individual, but rather overall casual chitchat. Plus, merely being polite, if the bill were too strong, could even lead to workplace discipline.

This cannot happen, just as workplace harassment cannot be left as unfettered as the OHSA appears to leave it.

Regardless of the final version of Bill 168, if and when it becomes law, it is also very important to educate workers on what has changed. This will help deter such actions, and will also help prevent accidental missteps if everyone understands what is acceptable workplace behaviour and what will not be tolerated.

In that manner, it would be a form of prevention training, for all parties.