Ontario, Canada, Safe International Addresses Workplace Violence Bill 168

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Safe International is Canada’s premier provider of personal protection training in Canada. It currently operates throughout Ontario and has expanded to provide training for companies that compliments and expands on the New Workplace Violence Bill (Bill 168) that comes into effect June 15, 2010.

Ontario, Canada, May 11, 2010 (PressReleasePoint)-- Safe International is Canada’s premier provider of personal protection training in Canada. It currently operates throughout Ontario and has expanded to provide training for companies that compliments and expands on the New Workplace Violence Bill (Bill 168) that comes into effect June 15, 2010. Safe international has delivered training to over one hundred thousand (100,000) people since 1994. The company is owned and managed by Chris Roberts who is CEO and Teaching Director for Safe International.

Bill 168 received Royal Assent on December 15, 2009. The amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act come into force on June 15, 2010. At that time, workplaces in Ontario will be required to have the necessary policies, programs, measures and procedures in place. While a good part of Bill 168 is devoted to devising policies and procedures for handling workplace violence and harrassment, companies that are serious about their staff’s personal safety should take a step further and offer realistic scenario training, so that if someone is thrown into a volatile situation, they have more than just policies on paper. Violence is very often quick and sudden leaving no time for others to help, and by preparing your staff for these "ambush" moments, you are really preparing them for workplace violence.

There are many professions that carry inherent risks on a day to day basis. Among these are health care, real estate, security firms, plus many more. Virtually every job has potential for volatile and even violent consequences. Safe International works with Human Resource and Safety Departments to offer training that addresses the specific concerns of each industry. They meet with management to tailor a course that will not just meet their written policies but also meet their specific scenarios encountered on the job. Some of the issues addressed outside of the written policies include, How to identify a potentially dangerous situation before it happens through awareness training and discussion on how someone will pick a potential victim. Whether at work or in public, the strategies used to choose a victim are the same. Another important aspect is learning how to identify both physical and verbal cues that someone is going to become aggressive, abusive or violent. Knowing how to verbally defuse someone who is confrontational can be key in de-escalating an aggressive person. Discussion on fear management and how to create proper mindset in order to avoid, defuse or defend oneself is also often ignored. Theory is not enough, but when combined with realistic, scenario based training drills, the whole spectrum of workplace violence can be addressed.

Contact Chris Roberts at Safe International to discuss how you can go beyond the basics of Bill 168 and provide your staff with real life personal protection skills. You can also follow Chris Roberts on his blog: Self Defense in Canada http://www.selfdefensecanada.info.

Contact: Safe International, Chris Roberts, Training Director, chrisroberts@safeinternational.biz. You can also visit our website at http://www.safeinternational.biz
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