With the upcoming legislation known as Bill 168, small business owners should take steps to protect themselves.
As any small business owner should know, it's important to keep a company and its employees well within the confines of the law. In Ontario, the Occupational Health and Safety Act legislation known as Bill 168 is set to take effect in just a few days.
Writing for CBC News, legal expert James Heeney of the Toronto law firm Rubin Thomlinson LLP recently offered suggestions for small businesses as they prepare for the new law to become active.
Heeney begins by reminding readers that all employees are required to meet the provisions of the bill. He says understanding all of the finer points of the law may be difficult for small businesses because they likely don't have a designated legal department. To help, he suggests beginning with a risk assessment.
After potential legal risks are identified, necessary changes should be made to the workplace as safe and compliant as possible. Heeney also suggests developing and reviewing policies regarding violence and harassment, and making sure those policies are implemented through special programs.
The final and most important step is training employees. Heeney says it is an employer's responsibility to provide workers with the information they need to know.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, the changes put into place by the OHSA legislation go into effect on June 15. The law is meant specifically to "strengthen protections for workers from workplace violence and address workplace harassment."
