Managers must tell new hires about risk of violence at work under new Sask. employment rules
Saskatchewan employers will be required to tell new hires if they face a risk of violence in the workplace and to take actions against it starting on May 17.
Under the employment act amendments taking effect later this month, workplaces must have a violence policy and prevention plan in place that identifies where violent situations have occurred or may occur and informs workers about the risks, including warnings about people with a history of violent behaviour who could become a risk to employees.
Employers will also be required to take action to prevent violent incidents, investigate when they occur, and provide training and counselling for employees.
The amendments take effect just months after Saskatchewan teachers went public about violent incidents they’ve faced at school, including chairs thrown across the classroom, destroyed equipment and physical assault.
Over 35 per cent of the province's teachers reported experiencing violence at work in the last five years, according to the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF).
One substitute teacher described being struck in the head and jaw multiple times after asking students not to run in the hallways, causing a compound fracture in his jaw.
STF president Samantha Becotte told CTV News at the time that Occupational Health and Safety oversight wasn’t meeting the needs of teachers, and that school division policies and procedures were not consistent across the province.
Library workers in Saskatoon have also faced numerous threats of violence and physical assault in recent years.
Last month, some city libraries began closing earlier after an employee and security guard were allegedly assaulted at the Carlyle King Library.
https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/we-ve-reached-a-breaking-point-saskatoon-libraries-reducing-hours-amid-workplace-violence-1.6854337
A 2023 survey from the Canadian Union of Public Employees reported that half of Saskatchewan library workers said they have experienced violence at work.
According to CUPE’s report, 78 per cent of respondents experienced verbal abuse, 71 per cent have witnessed violence, and nearly half were subjected to threats of physical harm.
In February 2022, two library branches were forced to close for two weeks because staff no longer felt safe at work.
A CUPE spokesperson told CTV News that a library worker was punched in the face after asking a patron to wear a face mask, and in a separate incident, there was an attempted abduction of a library worker when she was leaving the building at night.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe when they come to work,” Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Don McMorris said in the provincial news release.
“Having a violence policy and investigating all incidents is a step toward protecting workers from acts of violence.”
The amendments cover provincially regulated workplaces, which includes most employers except for banks, grain elevators, air transportation, First Nations bands, federal works, telecoms, postal workers, railways and broadcasters.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cellphone ticket for using his points app in the drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
Evacuees concerned over conflicting information on Fort Nelson wildfire
Evacuees staying in Fort St. John have expressed concern about how little they are hearing about what is happening in their now deserted city.
B.C. YouTuber ordered to pay $350K for 'relentless' online defamation campaign
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Insurance claims skyrocket and tensions remain high after slew of natural disasters
According to new data released by Statistics Canada, the cost of catastrophic insurance claims in Canada between 1983 and 2008 was $400 million each year.
P.E.I. proposes banning Islanders of a certain age from purchasing tobacco products in new health plan
A new proposal to ban Islanders of a certain age from ever buying tobacco products could put Prince Edward Island at the forefront of the battle against smoking.
'Endless Shrimp' just one misstep for Red Lobster as it eyes bankruptcy protection
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
Indigenous consultant accuses NHL's Blackhawks of fraud, sexual harassment
A consultant the Chicago Blackhawks hired to improve relationships with American Indian tribes has filed a lawsuit accusing the team, its charity foundation and its CEO of fraud, breach of contract and sexual harassment.
Why the speech by Kansas City Chiefs kicker was embraced at Benedictine College's commencement
Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker may have stirred controversy in some quarters for his proclamations of conservative politics on Saturday, but he received a standing ovation from graduates at the Benedictine College commencement ceremony.