Office Bullying and Harassment Policy Volume Nov 2013 | Page 18

Part 1: Complying with legal obligations
This section outlines the legal obligations of employers, supervisors, and workers under the Act, and
steps WorkSafeBC considers reasonable to address workplace bullying and harassment under its
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) policies. For the full OHS policy text, refer to pages 45 to 46 of
this handbook. For the most current information, visit www.worksafebc.com/bullying.

Violence and bullying and harassment
If an incident meets the definitions of both violence and bullying and harassment — if, for
example, it involves physical assaults
or threats — then the OHS Regulation s4.24–4.31 (on Workplace Conduct and Violence in
the Workplace) applies, in addition to OHS policies on bullying and harassment.

Legal obligations
When it comes to bullying and harassment, employers, workers, and supervisors have legal
obligations. These are found under “general duties,” in sections 115 to 117 of the Workers
Compensation Act. The OHS policies provide guidance on how workplace parties can meet their
obligations to prevent and address bullying and harassment in the workplace, as follows:
•

Employer duties, as set out in policy D3-115-2

•

Worker duties, as set out in policy D3-116-1

•

Supervisor duties, as set out in policy D3-117-2

Employers, workers, and supervisors may find ways to meet their obligations under the Act other than
those described in the OHS policies. However, WorkSafeBC’s prevention officers are guided in their
decisions by OHS policies. Therefore, all workplace parties should read and understand the policies to
ensure they are taking action to meet their legal obligations.

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Toward a respectful workplace