Complained of Conduct by Supervisor Wasn’t Workplace Violence

A poultry inspector filed a written complaint, alleging miscommunication, favouritism, humiliation, unfair treatment and lack of respect by his supervisor. The employer assigned a regional director to investigate the complaint, who concluded that there was no evidence of harassment or violence. The inspector and union argued that the process for workplace violence complaints spelled out in the OHS regulations should’ve been followed. But the OHS Tribunal concluded that because the conduct the inspector complained about didn’t fall under the definition of workplace violence in the law, the employer wasn’t obligated to follow the procedures for violence-related complaints [Canadian Food Inspection Agency v. Public Service Alliance of Canada, [2014] OHSTC 1, Jan. 27, 2014].