11 Jan Bullying Prevention COP
The Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Michael English, requested that the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) review their respective Codes of Practice on bullying in the workplace and to develop a single Joint Code, encompassing both organisations’ remit and responsibilities in this area.
As a result this new Code of Practice came into effect on 23 December 2020 replacing the Code of Practice entitled “Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work” issued by the HSA in March 2007 and the “Code of Practice Detailing Procedures for Addressing Bullying in the Workplace” issued by the then Labour Relations Commission (now WRC) in 2002.
This Code of Practice provides practical guidance for employers on identifying and preventing bullying at work arising from their duties under section 8 (2) (b) of the 2005 Act as regards “managing and conducting work activities in such a way as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any improper conduct or behaviour likely to put the safety, health and welfare at work of his or her employees at risk”. It also applies to employees in relation to their duties under section 13 (1) (e) of the 2005 Act to “not engage in improper conduct or behaviour that is likely to endanger his or her own safety, health and welfare at work or that of any other person”.
This Code applies to all employments in Ireland irrespective of whether employees work at a fixed location, at home or are mobile.
Visit irishstatutebook.ie to read through the Code of Practice in full. The Code of Practice includes information under the following headings:
- Status and Scope of the Code under Health and Safety Legislation
- Status and Scope of the Code under Workplace Relations Legislation
- What are Harassment and Bullying at Work?
- Management of Bullying at Work
- Intervention in Workplace Bullying
- Conclusion of Formal Process and Follow Up
This Order may be cited as the Industrial Relations Act 1990 (Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work) Order 2020.
Read the Code of Practice in full here: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2020/si/674/made/en/print#