How to reduce workplace violence and harassment using the Hierarchy of Controls

August 27, 2025

Jessica Bowes

Close-up of surveillance camera installation, male hand holds cctv camera

Your workplace is required by law to take measures to reduce risks to workers related to violence and harassment. But where should you begin? “Use the same approach you would for other types of health and safety hazards,” advises WSPS Consultant Dennis Chennette. “First, understand what your risks are. Then use the Hierarchy of Controls to determine ways to eliminate or control those risks.”

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), employers must carry out a risk assessment for violence and develop policies and programs for both violence and harassment. Harassment may be verbal, discriminatory, psychological, sexual, or other, and can occur in the physical workplace or online.

Once you know your risks, it’s time to develop/implement controls. “Some of these controls are already required by the OHSA,” notes Dennis. They include incident reporting procedures, steps for investigating or resolving incidents of violence and harassment, and training for all staff in the workplace on violence and harassment risks, the associated control measures and implemented procedures.

“Using the Hierarchy of Controls to help determine potential controls for each identified risk/hazard will help ensure you are considering every possible tool at your disposal to mitigate hazards related to violence and harassment,” says Dennis.

Using the Hierarchy of Controls to reduce risks

The Hierarchy of Controls lists methods for reducing risks, from the most effective to the least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE). Controls for workplace violence and harassment prevention include, but are not limited to:

Elimination. Can you remove the hazard entirely? Look at the factors that create the risk. For example, working alone in isolated areas or handling cash. Can you redesign the work so that no one is working alone? Can you use a bank courier to pick-up and deposit cash rather than send employees to the bank with money in hand?

Engineering controls. Engineering controls refer to physical design or structural changes to the work environment to reduce or eliminate hazards. For violence and harassment, this might include limiting access to the workplace by using access cards or installing physical barriers or security systems to separate workers from potential sources of violence or harassment.

“Security cameras, panic buttons, and communication devices, like cell phones/two-way radios, and increased lighting in dark areas, are popular examples of engineering controls used in violence and harassment prevention,” says Dennis. “It is important to remember that engineering controls need to be monitored. Make sure devices are maintained in good working order by following a documented maintenance program.” Dennis recalls visiting one workplace that had a panic button under a desk. When tested, it did not work as intended.

Administrative controls. Administrative controls help minimize the risk of exposure to workplace hazards by altering existing work practices or establishing violence and harassment prevention policies and/or procedures. Here are examples of administrative controls for violence and harassment:

establish clear, written workplace violence and harassment policies and programs in consultation with the joint health and safety committee or worker representative. “For example, an important administrative control to help prevent workplace violence and harassment is a working alone policy/procedure to help ensure workers are never working alone in situations where violence and/or harassment is a risk,” explains Dennis.
promote a respectful workplace culture through workplace code of conduct
training or similar discussions with all staff. “Communicate your expectations to everyone frequently,” recommends Dennis. “Make it clear that violence and harassment from any source, whether internal or external, that occurs within the workplace won’t be tolerated, at any time.”
implement procedures for reporting incidents of violence and harassment. This includes when the risk of domestic violence enters the workplace, or when violence and harassment is initiated by an outside source, such as visitors or contractors. Procedures are also needed for conducting investigations, providing support to affected workers, and record keeping.
provide training to all staff on workplace violence and harassment. This training should cover key topics such as your workplace violence and harassment prevention policy and procedures, how to recognize and respond to harassment and violence in your workplace, how to report incidents, the controls in place to help prevent workplace violence and harassment, and de-escalation techniques (steps for defusing a volatile situation).

“Keeping your staff safe from violence and harassment begins with senior leadership/management commitment to pro-actively promote safe behaviours in the workplace and dedicate adequate time and resources to implement, maintain and monitor controls,” concludes Dennis.

How WSPS can help

Connect with a consultant for help developing your workplace violence & harassment policies and programs and conducting a workplace violence assessment.

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