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NDP Calls for Regulations To Protect Nova Scotians From Workplace Violence |
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Written by NDP News Release
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Thursday, 05 January 2006 |
NDP Labour Critic Frank Corbett is calling on the Minister of Labour, Kerry Morash, to implement the Draft Violence in the Workplace Regulations prepared by the Province in response to recommendations from the Occupational Health and Safety Council in 1996, and stalled ever since by successive Liberal and Tory governments.
"Over a decade ago sensible regulations were proposed to protect Nova Scotians from violence they may encounter at work," says Corbett. "Nothing has been done to put these regulations into effect. As a result Nova Scotians have paid the price. They have paid it in taxi cabs, in convenience stores, and in many other occupations where people work alone or with the public."
Corbett maintains that the Hamm government could pass the Violence in the Workplace Regs as early as next week when cabinet meets but adds that they refuse to do so saying, "There can be no acceptable excuse to continuing to expose workers to these risks."
In 1996 the Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Council Working Group published Protection of workers from violence in the workplace. As a result the Province prepared Draft Violence in the Workplace Regulations that required, among other things, that employers develop a "Hazard Assessment" to determine the risk of injury to workers from violence in their workplace, and required employers to develop an appropriate violence protection plan. Corbett has pursued the enactment of the regulations and other ways to protect workers from on the job violence consistently since he was elected, and in 2001 introduced a bill to require passage of the original draft regulations.
"Many Nova Scotians are at risk of violence while they work," says Corbett. "Those who work alone in stores, cab drivers, many healthcare workers, and even teachers. We need to work out workplace-specific safety strategies, and we need the regulations to compel that to happen now."
A backgrounder on the Draft Violence in the Workplace Regulations:
-1996 - Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Council authored Protection of workers from violence in the workplace, a Working Group Report, and the produced Draft Violence in the Workplace Regulations as a result of the working group report.
-November 1996 - Manning MacDonald (then Minister of Labour) wrote in a November 14, 1996 letter that, "The Workplace Violence Regulation has been identified for early introduction. Work is progressing on this regulation and it is presently with the Department of Justice for language and authority review. We hope to be proceeding with it in the not too distant future."
-1997 - Cabinet discussed the draft regulations in November and the then-Liberal government refused to adopt them.
-1998 - in a letter from Liberal Labour Minister Russell MacKinnon, the draft regulations were attached, with a proposed date of coming into force of January 1, -1998. In other words, if these regulations had been in place as intended in 1997, every employer would have had in place hazard assessments, and violence prevention plans, which would have been revised at least once since then, and would be current.
-1999 - the Workplace Violence Regulation was returned to the OH&S Advisory Council to and some changes were made to satisfy stakeholders.
-2001 - Frank Corbett presented legislation requiring the passage of the Draft Violence in the Workplace Regulations within six months of the coming into force of the bill.
-According to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the Government of Canada is developing Violence in the Workplace Regulations this year.
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