Final Decision

In June 2005, the Board of Directors ("BOD") considered the four Coroner's recommendations related to the tragic murder/suicide that occurred in Kamloops. This was done after careful assessment of a comprehensive review and comparative analysis of legislation, regulation and non-regulatory practices regarding workplace violence in 22 jurisdictions, as well as stakeholder feedback on the previously proposed regulatory amendments at the 2004 public hearing.

The BOD determined that no regulatory amendments would be made to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation ("OHSR") in response to the Coroner's recommendations. Instead, the BOD approved increased education and training for officers with respect to the enforcement of the regulations as well as increased education and training for employers and workers to increase awareness of the current worker-to-worker violence provisions in sections 4.24 to 4.26 of the OHSR. The Workers' Compensation Board ("WCB") continues to be concerned with eliminating workplace violence and doing everything possible to prevent the recurrence of violent incidents.

By way of background, the WCB reviewed Part 4 of the OHSR relating to workplace conduct and violence, and developed proposed draft amendments consistent with the recommendations in the Coroner's report. In addition, a number of other amendments were developed which were not directly related to the recommendations of the reports but were considered relevant. In March 2004, a public hearing was held, and 90 percent of stakeholders expressed significant opposition to the proposed amendment package regarding workplace conduct and violence.

After consideration of the issues and concerns raised during the 2004 public hearing, the BOD did not approve the proposed regulatory amendments. Instead, it directed that further analysis and consultation be undertaken to try to find a workable solution to address workplace violence issues and to return with a recommendation.

As a result of this direction, the WCB undertook a comprehensive review and comparative analysis of legislation, regulations and non-regulatory practices regarding workplace violence issues in select jurisdictions in Canada, the USA, Europe and Australia. This review highlighted that British Columbia has among the most significant and comprehensive regulations of any of the jurisdictions examined.

Please click on Jurisdictional Review and Analysis to review the report. To review a copy of the information summary prepared for each jurisdiction, please click on the appropriate jurisdiction to the right.