Or so it would seem judging by the interest and lively questions from participants at the April 21^st SIG on Bill 168 on Violence and Harassment in the Workplace. Hosted by Batory Industries (thank you), the event accommodated 33 people from members and guests across Chatham-Kent.

Ian Campbell and Matt Mihalovich of Hicks Morley did an outstanding job presenting an overview of the upcoming legislation and fielding question after question. Among the points made:

• The Ministry of Labour Guideline is just that, a guideline. For specific advice, a lawyer should be consulted. The Guide may be downloaded from:
• http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs/wpvh/index.php
• While the legislation allows for a single policy covering Violence and Harassment, it is recommended to have a separate policy for each.
• Companies often work hard to have policies that go beyond the requirements of legislation. In the case of Bill 168, the policies should express the requirements as spelt out and nothing beyond.
• Unwanted behaviour must be addressed early. It was suggested that training is important for those who may be faced with the responsibility to react.
• The Joint Health & Safety Committees of companies have traditionally addressed hard fact issues - PPE's, guards, safety policies.etc. HR has addressed soft personnel issues. Bill 168 will require the two groups to work together to put in place policies and training to equip supervisors and managers to deal with sensitive issues.
• While the Bill calls for policies to prevent Violence and Harassment, keeping the peace is the job of the police, not company personnel. Any incidents are best handled by summoning the authorities.
• Excellent resources are available from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety. A Violence in the Workplace Prevention Guide is available on-line at: http://www.ccohs.ca/products/publications/violence.html. It contains a sample assessment guide and incident investigation report for example.