Beginning in April 2022, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development (“MLITSD”, “the Ministry”) conducted a two-phase awareness and enforcement initiative to address workplace violence (“WV”) at Ontario’s K-12 School Boards. The enforcement phase of the initiative concluded on March 31, 2023. To guide its members in achieving meaningful outcomes from this initiative, the OSBCU provided resources and guidance to CUPE Locals in the sector prior to the inspection blitz.
Ministry enforcement inspectors conducted over 340 visits to schools and board offices in Ontario. They issued employers approximately 114 orders of non-compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”), including seven (7) requirements to provide documentation to inspectors. Still, we observed many instances where inspectors noted in their field visit report (“FVR”) areas of employer’s non-compliance with the OHSA but refused to issue orders. Instead, the inspectors allowed employers to self-comply in the circumstances.
The OSBCU collected and charted many of the inspector’s FVRs. Based on the reports and orders issued, we recommend the following for the OSBCU Executive, CUPE Locals in the K-12 sector, CUPE Joint Health and Safety Committee members and Health and Safety Representatives dealing with the
following:
For CUPE Locals, CUPE Health and Safety Representatives, Leads and Committee members:
- To evaluate local school board risk assessment tools to ensure they consider general and specific risks of WV at the school/building level.
- To evaluate the triggers school boards use to reassess the risks of WV.
- To ensure school boards develop a program for each location where staff are exposed to a risk of WV.
- Evaluating the means by which staff summon immediate assistance before and during incidents of WV to ensure their effectiveness.
- Examine instances and review school board policies to reduce instances where staff use their personal cell phones to summon assistance for incidents of WV.
- Review existing safety plans to ensure they are consistent with the results of workplace risk assessment and the contents of the employer WV policy and programs
