Security assignments must account for worker safety, workplace-violence procedures, accessibility and professional public interaction. This resource explores: What Should Security Staff Know About Workplace-Violence Procedures.
At a glance
- Ontario’s OHSA establishes workplace health-and-safety duties and includes specific workplace-violence requirements for employers.
- CCOHS identifies working alone, working late, fatigue and public-facing conflict as issues that should be assessed through workplace procedures and training.
- Security personnel are workers too; assigning a guard to a hazard does not remove the employer’s health-and-safety obligations.
What the official sources establish
Ontario’s OHSA establishes workplace health-and-safety duties and includes specific workplace-violence requirements for employers. CCOHS identifies working alone, working late, fatigue and public-facing conflict as issues that should be assessed through workplace procedures and training. Security personnel are workers too; assigning a guard to a hazard does not remove the employer’s health-and-safety obligations.
Services and facilities in Ontario are also subject to human-rights and accessibility requirements.
How to approach the question
For security Staff Know About Workplace-Violence Procedures, the useful question is not whether security can “handle everything.” The useful question is what the approved process expects security to observe, verify, communicate and record, and which decisions remain with the client or public authority. Clear boundaries reduce improvisation and make later review more reliable.
Questions to confirm at the property
- Worker-safety procedures?
- Available communication and check-in methods?
- Conditions that require withdrawal or emergency assistance?
- How the employer’s workplace-safety duties are supported?
- The hazard or violence procedure?
Picture this at your property
A security worker is assigned to a public-facing or after-hours situation with worker-safety considerations. The immediate question is security Staff Know About Workplace-Violence Procedures. A strong process does not guess. It identifies the applicable site procedure, confirms authority and known facts, records what was observed, and escalates anything outside the security role to the responsible client representative or public authority.
What security can support
Security is one part of a workplace violence, safety or accessibility program. It should not be used as a substitute for the employer’s required policies, risk assessment, accommodation process, training or emergency response. A well-designed assignment gives guards a clear baseline, identifies exceptions that need immediate attention, and preserves enough information for the client to make the next decision.
Practical takeaway
Good security is easier to review when the property has defined authority, a realistic scope, clear escalation contacts and factual records. That approach supports accountability without promising that any single control can prevent every incident.
Official sources & verification
1. Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) — Government of Ontario
2. Understand the law on workplace violence and harassment — Government of Ontario
3. Violence and Harassment in the Workplace — Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
4. Fatigue — Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Last reviewed: 2026-08-12. This resource provides general information, not legal, emergency, fire-safety, privacy, human-rights, occupational-health-and-safety or other professional advice. Requirements depend on the facts, the organization and current law or official guidance. Security does not replace the duties of the employer, constructor, supervisor or other regulated workplace parties.