Work Place Violence Guidelines for dealing with violent behavior involving employees and their work environment

Is work place violence really that big a problem?

Statistics reveal that:  There are nearly 1,000 workplace homicides each year.  Homicides account for nearly 15% of the total workplace fatalities nationwide.  1.5 million assaults occur in U.S workplaces each year.

What can be done about it?  Are there safety laws about this?  Are some jobs just naturally dangerous?  We have to stand up for our rights, don’t we?

4 Action Steps to Deal with Workplace Violence  Conduct a hazard assessment  Define problems  Develop solutions  Implement / train  Monitor

Hazard Assessment  People  Clients  Employees  Supervisors  Environment  Location  Business hours  Economy

Develop Solutions  Engineering Controls  Metal Detectors  Enclosed Counters/Workstations  Video Surveillance

Develop Solutions  Administrative Controls  Strict policies  No weapons  Buddy system  Careful selection of clients when possible  EAPs

Training / Implementation  Pre Incident  Surveys  Self Defense  Warning Signs  Conflict Resolution  Post Incident  Employee Assistance Programs  Critical Incident Stress Debriefing  Reassignments

Monitoring  Be sensitive to signs of high stress levels  In employees  In customers  Inspect areas for potential weapons  Minimize physical hazards

Incident Reporting  Encourage employees to report all incidents of violence  “Near Miss” incident reporting is also important

Summary Points  Workplace Violence is a serious problem.  Violence should be treated like any other work related hazard.  Pro Active controls are preferred but reactive measures have a place in the prevention of workplace violence.