Conflict in the Middle East has placed expressions of racial and religious hatred back on the front page. Employers in the construction industry must be prepared in advance and ready to respond to any verbal harassment or display of hate symbols. Hate symbols have caused concern and reaction both in Canada and the United States. In the U.S.
, Amazon and its contractors are being sued by five Black and Latino workers for failing to take appropriate action preventing the placement of eight nooses on an Amazon worksite in 2021. In Canada, nooses were found on two worksites in the Toronto area in 2020. One was at a hospital construction site operated by EllisDon. The other was at a highrise residential project being built for The Daniels Corporation. An appeal ruling has expanded the term “employer” under Occupational Health and Safety (OHSA) legislation. That means it now has application beyond constructors and can potentially include project owners. Every person employed in Canada has the right to a safe work environment