New Brunswick anti violence and harassment prevention requirements

Every business is required to do a code of practice. This code of practice:

• Must be done in conjunction with health & safety committees and/or representatives
• Must be documented
• Must be made available to OHS committee and safety reps

The code of practice must include:

• That every person is entitled to work free of harassment
• Identify the person responsible for implementation
• Employee reporting
• Investigation & documentation procedures
• Corrective measure procedures
• Employee follow up measures
• Training needs.

Contact business resources for a code of practice template.

Every business is required to do an assessment. This assessment:

• Must be done in conjunction with health & safety committees and/or representatives
• Must be documented
• Must be made available to OHS committee and safety reps

The assessment should include:

• The history of violence at that workplace.
  • Incident reports and investigations
  • First aid records
  • Joint health and safety committee (JHSC) minutes
• A physical inspection of the workplace:
  • Workplace design and layout
  • Administrative practices (visitor policy)
  • Work practices (handling money, greeting the public)
• The history of violence at similar workplaces. Information could be obtained through:
  • Insurance companies
  • Local police departments
  • Relevant publications
  • Professional associations
• Risk factors associated with violence, such as:
  • processes or situations (working alone, working with the public, handling
  • large amounts of cash, etc.)
  • roles and responsibilities (cashiers handling money, by-law enforcement
  • officers, couriers visiting numerous workplaces, etc.)
  • Possible exposure to sexual violence
  • Whether intimate partner or domestic partner violence might spill over into the workplace
  • Hours of operation
  • Location and neighbourhood characteristics

Contact business resources for a violence assessment template.

**Although your business may not be required to have a Code of practice for Violence Prevention, we recommend implementing this to all businesses.

You are required to have a code of practice if the following circumstances exist:

• You regularly employ 20 or more employees in NB.
• If work is carried out under any of the below circumstances:
  • Public service employee
  • Supplier of goods or services to a government department
  • Employee of an emergency service provider
  • Health professional
  • Pharmacist
  • Veterinarian
  • Social worker, outreach worker, crisis intervener or support worker
  • Employee of an agency defined in the Private Investigators and Security Services Act
  • Person registered or licensed under legislation to provide financial services
• The following types of work are done:
  • Teaching
  • Early learning and childcare services
  • Retail sales
  • Transporting goods or persons for hire in a vehicle (whether a public vehicle or privately owned)
  • Home support services
• Work is carried on at:
  • A casino or other gaming premises (under the Gaming Control Act)
  • A place where a license or permit has been issued under the Liquor Control Act and where the public has access
  • A cannabis retail outlet (under the Cannabis Control Act)
• If you regularly employ FEWER than 20 employees and are NOT included in the type of work or professions listed above, but your risk assessment for violence has identified a risk, you must develop a code of practice for violence.

This code of practice:

• Must be done in conjunction with health & safety committees and/or representatives
• Must be documented
• Must be made available to OHS committee and safety reps

This code of practice should include:

• Risky locations & circumstances
• Types of violence
• Categories of employees/types of work
• Person responsible for implementation
• Employee reporting
• Mitigation actions including
  • Equipment & procedures
  • Follow up
  • Emergency assistance
  • Investigation
  • Corrective measures
  • Training

Contact business resources for a code of practice template.