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.