School boards are required to set out how they will investigate and address incidents or complaints of workplace violence as part of the workplace violence program. The first step is to attend to the health and safety of all involved. If a person requires medical attention this should be dealt with promptly.

The workplace violence program should consider the following with respect to the investigation:

  1. how to seek medical attention (roles and responsibilities);
  2. when to call the police – see mandatory and discretionary police reporting requirements as defined in the Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol;
  3. how and when the investigations will be conducted;
  4. roles and responsibilities of school boards, supervisors, workers, JHSC, MJHSCs or health and safety representative and others involved in the investigation process;
  5. the type of information to be collected during an investigation;
  6. guidance on confidentiality and disclosure of information with respect to the investigation;
  7. how the workplace will deal with incidents of workplace violence;
  8. timeframes for investigations and any corrective actions; and
  9. how records about the incident and investigation will be stored and managed.

The workplace violence investigation should focus on identifying the root cause of the violent incident and apply measures and procedures to control the risk and prevent a recurrence.

The JHSC or MJHSC must designate one or more such members (or the health and safety representative) to investigate cases where a worker is killed or critically injured in the workplace and one of those members may, subject to certain conditions regarding the preservation of the scene, investigate. For more information refer to OHSA s. 9(31), 8(14) and OHSA s. 51(2).

School boards must have measures and procedures to deal with workplace health and safety complaints. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development encourages internal resolution of complaints, however, if the complainants’ concerns remain unresolved, the MLITSD Health & Safety Contact Centre can be contacted at 1-877-202-0008.