Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
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www.thesafetymag.com/ca 27 with diminished physical and mental health and lower job performance. "They are feeling fearful at work. Imagine going to work and you're scared every day. That's incredibly destabilizing… It's amazing the long- term impact. Violence reverberates though educators' lives," says Bruckert. Her study estimates that lost-time due to harassment and violence against educators in Ontario exceeds $3 million annually. Educators report taking an faceless and say those things to you," Wozney says. "It starts to fold into cybercrime at a certain point." Violence can lead to a variety of injuries such as broken bones, cuts and scrapes, concussions, permanent brain damage, mobility challenges, chronic pain and migraines. However, it's often the mental anguish that has the most lasting effect. According to the University of Ottawa report, high levels of either violence or harassment are associated average of 6.84 days off work following their worst case of harassment and an average of 5.18 days off following their worst case of physical violence. Peel region — which includes the cities of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon in Southern Ontario — is seeing an increase in long-term disability claims, with 51 per cent of the claims attributable to "mental nervousness," which Bannister-Clarke says is likely related to an increase in violence and WHAT CONSTITUTES VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT? Examples of workplace violence: • exercising physical force (e.g., hitting, kicking, biting, hair pulling, sexual assault) • an attempt to exercise physical force • any threat to exercise physical force (e.g., verbal threats, shaking a fist in someone's face, wielding a weapon). Examples of workplace harassment: • verbal taunts and put-downs • remarks, jokes or innuendos that demean, ridicule or offend • offensive phone calls, texts, social media posts or emails • leering or inappropriate staring • unnecessary physical contact of a sexual nature • bullying • false accusations or spreading rumours. Source: Facing the Facts: The Escalating Crisis of Violence Against Elementary School Educators in Ontario, University of Ottawa How To Make Habits Stick Did you know that less than 10% of people actually reach their goal when trying to create new habits? Most people operate on autopilot with little or no conscious thought and it's their habits that drive them forward. Since everyday actions are habitual, learning how to change or form new habits can be a game-changer in safety. This guide with clear do's and don'ts is a good place to start if you want to get serious about building good habits and breaking bad ones. Share this with your employees as a framework for building safer habits. How To Make Habits Stick Did you know that less than 10% of people actually reach their goal when trying to create new habits? Most people operate on autopilot with little or no conscious thought and it's their habits that drive them forward. Since everyday actions are habitual, learning how to change or form new habits can be a game-changer in safety. This guide with clear do's and don'ts is a good place to start if you want to get serious about building good habits and breaking bad ones. Share this with your employees as a framework for building safer habits. Read the Free Guide at safestart.com/cos3 800-267-7482 Read the Free Guide at Learn How to Build Good Habits