Document name

Safety and Security - Workplace Violence

Document number

POL 05/2024

Workplace Violence as defined by The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 means the attempted, threatened or actual conduct of a person that causes or is likely to cause injury and includes any threatening statement or behavior that gives a worker reasonable cause to believe the worker is at risk of injury.

1. The Board Members have an obligation to ensure that Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) management reasonably and practicably provide employees the ability to carry out their duties in a safe and secure environment without fear of harm, whether physical or psychological. Section 3-8 of The Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA) requires that employees be provided with a safe work environment.
2. The SEA requires that all Saskatchewan employers, in consultation with the Occupational Health Committee (OHC), implement a policy statement and prevention plan to eliminate workplace violence. The policy statement and prevention plan must apply to all employees, independent and dependent contractors, students and volunteers (Section 3 21(1)).
3. Section 217.1 of The Criminal Code of Canada states all persons “directing the work of others” must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of workers and the public.
4. The Board delegates authority for the safety and security of WCB employees to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (POL 09/2010, Safety and Security – Workplace).

1. The Saskatchewan WCB is committed to zero tolerance for all threatening, abusive and violent behaviour.
2. The WCB will conduct risk assessments to identify all potential sources of violence and take every reasonable action to eliminate or minimize these risks through the WCB’s workplace violence prevention plan.
3. The WCB will manage a process to ensure WCB staff are aware of people with a known history of violent behaviour whom WCB staff may encounter in the course of their work.
4. The WCB will ensure procedures are in place for staff for reporting and managing violence incidents.
5. The WCB is committed to providing training for all staff for identifying, responding to and reporting violence in the workplace.
6. The WCB will review and update all staff safety guidelines, including the workplace violence prevention plan, every three years or whenever there is a change of circumstances that may affect the health or safety of WCB, to ensure the safety of all staff.