BizNet Reports On Work Place
Violence |
The Law! (What the government says it means) |
Article 2 The "Red Flags" And Warning Signs |
Article 3 (The actual act word for word) |
Article 4 Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies |
Article 5 Helpful Links |
The following information comes from:
U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health
Service
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Division of Safety Research
Dated July 1996
Web site address; http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/violcont.html
Risk Factors
A number of factors may increase a worker's risk for workplace assault, and they have been described in previous research [Collins and Cox 1987; Davis 1987; Davis et al. 1987; Kraus 1987; Lynch 1987; NIOSH 1993; Castillo and Jenkins 1994]. These factors include the following:
Prevention
Strategies
Environmental
Designs
Commonly
implemented cash-handling policies in retail settings include procedures such as
using locked drop safes, carrying small amounts of cash, and posting signs and
printing notices that limited cash is available. It may also be useful to
explore the feasibility of cashless transactions in taxicabs and retail settings
through the use of machines that accommodate automatic teller account cards or
debit cards. These approaches could be used in any setting where cash is
currently exchanged between workers and customers.
Physical
separation of workers from customers, clients, and the general public through
the use of bullet-resistant barriers or enclosures has been proposed for retail
settings such as gas stations and convenience stores, hospital emergency
departments, and social service agency claims areas. The height and depth of
counters (with or without bullet-resistant barriers) are also important
considerations in protecting workers, since they introduce physical distance
between workers and potential attackers. Consideration must nonetheless be given
to the continued ease of conducting business; a safety device that increases
frustration for workers or for customers, clients, or patients may be
self-defeating.
Visibility and
lighting are also important environmental design considerations. Making
high-risk areas visible to more people and installing good external lighting
should decrease the risk of workplace assaults [NIOSH 1993].
Access to and
egress from the workplace are also important areas to assess. The number of
entrances and exits, the ease with which nonemployees can gain access to work
areas because doors are unlocked, and the number of areas where potential
attackers can hide are issues that should be addressed. This issue has
implications for the design of buildings and parking areas, landscaping, and the
placement of garbage areas, outdoor refrigeration areas, and other storage
facilities that workers must use during a work shift.
Numerous security
devices may reduce the risk for assaults against workers and facilitate the
identification and apprehension of perpetrators. These include closed-circuit
cameras, alarms, two-way mirrors, card-key access systems, panic-bar doors
locked from the outside only, and trouble lights or geographic locating devices
in taxicabs and other mobile workplaces.
Personal
protective equipment such as body armor has been used effectively by public
safety personnel to mitigate the effects of workplace violence. For example, the
lives of more than 1,800 police officers have been saved by Kevlar®
vests [Brierley 1996].
Administrative
Controls
Staffing plans and
work practices (such as escorting patients and prohibiting unsupervised movement
within and between clinic areas) are included in the California Occupational
Safety and Health Administration Guidelines for the Security and Safety of
Health Care and Community Service Workers [State of California 1993].
Increasing the number of staff on duty may also be appropriate in any number of
service and retail settings. The use of security guards or receptionists to
screen persons entering the workplace and controlling access to actual work
areas has also been suggested by security experts.
Work practices and
staffing patterns during the opening and closing of establishments and during
money drops and pickups should be carefully reviewed for the increased risk of
assault they pose to workers. These practices include having workers take out
garbage, dispose of grease, store food or other items in external storage areas,
and transport or store money.
Policies and
procedures for assessing and reporting threats allow employers to track and
assess threats and violent incidents in the workplace. Such policies clearly
indicate a zero tolerance of workplace violence and provide mechanisms by which
incidents can be reported and handled. In addition, such information allows
employers to assess whether prevention strategies are appropriate and effective.
These policies should also include guidance on recognizing the potential for
violence, methods for defusing or de-escalating potentially violent situations,
and instruction about the use of security devices and protective equipment.
Procedures for obtaining medical care and psychological support following
violent incidents should also be addressed. Training and education efforts are
clearly needed to accompany such policies.
Behavioral
Strategies
Training employees in nonviolent response and conflict resolution has been suggested to reduce the risk that volatile situations will escalate to physical violence. Also critical is training that addresses hazards associated with specific tasks or worksites and relevant prevention strategies. Training should not be regarded as the sole prevention strategy but as a component in a comprehensive approach to reducing workplace violence. To increase vigilance and compliance with stated violence prevention policies, training should emphasize the appropriate use and maintenance of protective equipment, adherence to administrative controls, and increased knowledge and awareness of the risk of workplace violence.
The Law! (What the government says it means) |
Article 2 The "Red Flags" And Warning Signs |
Article 3 (The actual act word for word) |
Article 4 Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies |
Article 5 Helpful Links |
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Last modified: November 08, 2002