Physical, emotional and psychological safety

Safety in the workplace means that all individuals in a workplace are reasonably protected from physical, emotional and psychological harm.

Work can take place in both physical and virtual environments. The workplace might refer to a physical building or office space, a virtual environment (e.g., Teams, Slack, Zoom and/or email) or a hybrid combination of both. Regardless of whether you work in-person, virtual or hybrid, you have the right to a safe workplace.

• Physical harm: factors that pose a risk of injury or death or otherwise negatively impact our physical health.

• Emotional harm: factors that negatively impact our emotional well-being, such as bullying or an unmanageable workload.

• Psychological harm: factors that limit our ability to show up as ourselves, express our identities and engage with others at work (e.g., propose new ideas, seek feedback and report problems) without fear of negative consequences.

Physical hazards are substances or activities that threaten your physical safety. They are present in most workplaces at one time or another. Hazards include unsafe conditions that can cause injury, illness and death. Examples include extreme temperature, poor air quality, noise and radiation.

Your rights to physical safety

• In Canada: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)

• In Ontario: Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)

OHSA requirements

According to the OHSA, when it comes to physical safety in the workplace, all workers in Ontario (including students) have three basic rights:

• The right to know about present health and safety hazards.

• The right to refuse work if it endangers your health and safety.

• The right to participate and make recommendations about health and safety in your workplace.

OHSA provides the legal framework to protect workers from health and safety hazards on the job by:

• Setting out duties for all workplace parties and rights for workers to help establish a strong internal responsibility system (IRS) in the workplace.

• Establishing measures and procedures for dealing with workplace hazards.

• Providing enforcement of the law where compliance has not been achieved voluntarily.

Your employer is responsible for several duties to protect your physical safety in the workplace. These duties include training in health and safety protection (e.g., WHMIS) and informing workers about relevant workplace hazards.

Your employer is largely responsible for ensuring your physical safety at work, but workers also have duties to uphold in the workplace, including reporting physical hazards or safety violations. Learn about your responsibilities as a worker, provided by OHSA. In Ontario, most businesses with employees are required to register with the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB).

The WSIB supports employees returning to work after a work-related injury or illness. The WSIB derives its authority and duties from the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA).

The WSIB has developed an online training: Health and Safety 101. The workbook explains your rights and responsibilities on the job and tells you what the OHSA expects from your employer, your supervisor and you. You will receive a "proof of completion" certificate once you complete the training.

Health and safety outside of Ontario/Canada

The content in this section refers to legislation in the province of Ontario. Many of the concepts covered apply internationally. However, if you plan to work or are working in a location outside Ontario, please consult relevant local/regional and national laws and regulations. You can also consult your employer on workplace safety policies and practices both within their organization and where they are located.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission legally protects most forms of workplace safety under the Ontario Human Rights Code. If you’re working outside of Ontario in another Canadian province or territory, you still have rights to workplace health and safety. Please consult your relevant provincial or territorial health and safety agency for details.

Not sure where to start? Try searching: [your location + workplace health/safety]

Emotional and psychological safety in the workplace is a belief shared within a team that it’s acceptable to take risks, express your ideas and concerns, speak up with questions and admit mistakes, all without fear of negative consequences.

Generally, an emotionally and psychologically safe workplace is an environment in which employees feel comfortable sharing and genuinely expressing themselves.

There are four stages of psychological safety an individual will (ideally) experience in a healthy workplace. Emotional and psychological safety is experienced when you can move through all four stages without fear of embarrassment, marginalization or punishment.

• Stage 1: Feeling included.

• Stage 2: Feeling safe to learn.

• Stage 3: Feeling safe to contribute.

• Stage 4: Feeling safe to challenge the status quo.

It’s important to remember that your rights to emotional and psychological safety are as valid as your right to physical safety in the workplace.

For a workplace to be physically safe, individuals must be aware of and protected from hazards that endanger their physical well-being (e.g., odours from toxic chemicals). For a workplace to be emotionally and psychologically safe, individuals must be free from harassment and discrimination.

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