Interesting Stats on Workplace Violence

June 15th marks the 3rd anniversary of Ontario's Bill 168, which modified the Occupational Health & Safety Act  to expand the definition of workplace violence and harassment and added specific and explicit requirements for employers.  Here is a list of interesting stats related to workplace violence:

• Nearly 1 in 5 violent incidents (including physical assault, sexual assault and robbery) occur in the workplace.  Source: Glenn French of the Canadian Initiative on Workplace Violence (2007)
• Employees who work with the public face a higher risk of workplace violence, particularly those working in the health care industry and justice system. Other high risk industries include: bars and restaurants, pharmacies, banking or financial services, government workers, teachers, and those whose company is involved in a period of transition (such as employee lay-offs, closings, or other significant changes). Source: Ministry of Labour.
• Men and women were equally likely to have experienced workplace violence, but men were more likely to be injured. Specifically, 27 per cent of incidents involving male victims resulted in injuries, compared with 17 per cent of those involving female victims. Source: www.workplaceviolence.ca
• Violent workplace incidents were twice as likely to be reported to police (37%) compared to those that occurred outside the workplace (17%) Source: www.workplaceviolence.ca​
• A U.S. study showed that government employees make up only 16% of the workforce but were the victim of up to 41% of non-fatal workplace violence incidents. Source: "Workplace Violence Against Government Employees, 1994 - 2011) http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/wvage9411.pdf.

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Do you have any questions about managing your company's risk of Workplace Violence? The experts at Clear Path would be pleased to discuss strategies you could deploy. You may also be interested in our easy-to-use Do-It-Yourself Package for Bill 168 which can help ensure your company is compliant with the requirements of Ontario's Bill 168.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Anna Aceto-Guerin at (519) 624-0800 or anna@clearpathemployer.com.

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