Employers are being reminded of their duty to prevent violence in the workplace, after a spike in such incidents over the past five years.
WorkSafeBC issued the advisory after reporting a 25 per cent increase in verified acts of violence claims being processed since 2018.
The leading offender, in terms of industry sector, during that time was healthcare and social services.
However, in Richmond, the worst areas of employment for such incidents were in education and retail.
Between 2013 and 2022 – which was the only period made available to the Richmond News by WorkSafeBC – there were 135 violence in the workplace claims processed in the education sector in Richmond.
This was followed by 104 in retail and 87 in healthcare and social services, with the likes of tourism and hospitality further down the list at 39 claims.
Potential for violence exists
From a province-wide perspective, acts of violence have increased from 2,292 accepted claims in 2018 to 2,868 in 2022.
“Unfortunately, the potential for violence exists whenever there is direct interaction between workers and non-workers,” said Barry Nakahara, senior manager of Prevention Field Services at WorkSafeBC.
“Employers must provide a workplace as safe from the threat of violence as possible."
WorkSafeBC regulations require that employers conduct a risk assessment, have policies and procedures in place to protect workers from the risk of violence, and to provide instruction to workers.
Where there is a risk of violence at work, employers must implement controls to eliminate or minimize these risks.
These controls can include developing and implementing violence-prevention policies, providing training and education to employees, and regularly conducting risk assessments.
Physical barriers, lighting, and public visibility, along with safe-work procedures, could also serve as effective controls.
WorkSafeBC added that employers must “review and update their violence prevention program annually to ensure its effectiveness as the work environment changes.”
It emphasized the need for regular interval check-ins to ensure workers' well-being, with set time intervals, emergency rescue provisions, and designated persons responsible for keeping track of check-ins.
"Violence can have a significant physical and psychological impact on workers," added Nakahara.
"Employers must identify and address the risk of violence in their workplace and it’s important to involve workers in this process."
Nakahara said that for employers with more than 20 workers, the violence prevention program should be developed and implemented in cooperation with the joint health and safety committee.
