Marijuana & the Workplace: Responsibilities
Rights, Obligations & Accommodation
Employers are obligated to protect the health and safety of everyone at or near the workplace. They must ensure workplace hazards that could threaten the safety of workers and visitors are identified and managed. This is a big responsibility.
All Managers and Supervisors act on behalf of the Employer – it’s not only the law, it’s the right thing to do.
In a strong Safety Culture, employees feel comfortable asking questions, raising concerns, or requesting accommodation without fear of punishment. Everyone should be able to go to work, do their job well and get home safe.
When it comes to cannabis, a good approach to understanding workplace responsibilities is to focus on:
- Policy
- Employers should develop or revise their policies covering cannabis use and the workplace.
- Obligation
- Employers are obligated to engage employees and objectively review accommodation requests. The type of accommodation may be determined by the work environment or work being performed.
- Training
- Employers are responsible for training employees on policies and relevant safe work practices. You can encourage a strong and sustainable Safety Culture by providing information and education to all employees.
To learn more about this topic and how best you can prepare your workplace for the legalization of marijuana, click here: www.worksafestaysafe.com.