Rhode Island lawmakers seek workplace antibullying provisions

Rhode Island lawmakers are considering a bill that would provide worker protections against psychological abuse in the workplace, calling for various reporting requirements to state agencies and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

H.B. 8044, introduced Thursday and referred to the House Labor Committee, would require employers to educate their employees on bullying and toxic work environments, and would require companies to conduct an anonymous workplace climate survey annually, which would need to be filed with the state labor officials and federal OSHA.

The bill also states that employers would be required to provide “legal relief and remedy for employees harmed psychologically, emotionally, physically, professionally, or economically by exposure to an unsafe, toxic work environment, including any subsequent damages to make employees whole.”