Road map to reporting workplace violence

Overview

The Road Map (PDF) has 3 main sections. Each section focuses on a required reporting process under a particular provincial statute.

Making the link between the Road Map and real-time reporting decisions

To make the link between the reporting requirements in the Road Map and real-time decision making about reporting an actual incident, consider the following questions:

• Whose behaviour is this?
• What type of incident is this?
• Where and when did this incident happen?
• How will this incident be reported?

Whose behaviour is this?

Is the alleged assailant a student?
If this person is a student, then there may be a dual reporting requirement, where both a workplace violence report and the Safe Schools Incident Reporting Forms for a serious student incident must be completed.

When investigating and dealing with an incident where a student is the alleged assailant, the principal must consider mitigating factors and other factors when:

• making decisions about possible suspension or expulsion (Education Act, s. 306(2)) and O. Reg. 472/07: Behaviour, Discipline and Safety of Pupils (O. Reg. 472/07, ss. 2 and 3)
• making decisions about whether to call the police in some situations (Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol, 2015)

What type of incident is this?

• Does this incident meet the definition of workplace violence under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)? (See Part 1.)
• Could this incident also qualify as a serious student incident under the Education Act? (See Part 2.)
• If this incident resulted in an injury to a worker, does the injury meet the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA) criteria for reporting a workplace injury to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)? (See Part 3.)

Multiple reporting requirements

If this incident meets the criteria for more than one of the above, more than one reporting process is needed.

In some instances, more than one reporting process is required. Here are 2 examples:

Dual reporting requirement: Both the school board's workplace violence reporting form and the Safe Schools Incident Reporting Forms must be completed if:

• the incident meets the definition of workplace violence (OHSA)
• the alleged assailant is a student
• the student may also have engaged in a serious student incident

Injury reporting requirement: If a violent incident between students causes an injury to a worker, then the Safe Schools Incident Reporting Forms must be completed and the school board's reporting process for work-related injuries must also be followed, including the use of the school board's WSIB Reporting System where required.

Where and when did this incident happen?

Incidents that happen during the workday and during school-run programs are relatively easy to identify as work- or school-related. However, incidents that originate off school premises or outside school programs can also qualify as workplace violence – for example, a message that threatens to cause injury to a worker.

How will this incident be reported?

The Road Map shows that each of the separate reporting processes for violent incidents has a series of steps that must be followed by the school board, the principal and the school staff. The next section, “Following the Road Map”, briefly summarizes each reporting process, then details the steps to completion.

The appendices to this resource guide include a chart and scenarios that illustrate the links between the Road Map and the decisions that need to be made when reporting an actual incident, as follows:

• Appendix 1. Reporting requirements for various types of incidents
• Appendix 3. Scenarios about reporting requirements