Easing into new regulations
To adapt your business to a new regulation, you need the time and information to understand it. The new Workplace Violence Prevention regulations, and the plan to roll them out, were developed with this in mind.
The Department of Environment and Labour held a forum, as part of the 2007 Nova Scotia Safety Council conference, to get input on the draft strategy that supports the new regulations. To give businesses time to adjust and come up with their own solutions, the roll-out is happening in two phases:
- The hazard self-assessment has to be completed by Oct. 1, 2007
- The regulations going into full effect on Apr. 1, 2008
Information on the regulations was plain and simple. Businesses were provided a handy self-assessment tool to help determine the level of violence risk in their workplace. A website was also set up with additional resources. Finally, Environment and Labour partnered with NSCC to develop information sessions. In July, 10 sessions were held across Nova Scotia, with many of the over 650 employers leaving the sessions with completed self-assessments.
