#Workplace Safety
By Team Seaglass
Mass shootings have become far too common in our culture these days. With the recent shooting at a school in Nashville TN last week, we are reminded, yet again of the harsh reality that violent acts have on our friends, family, and co-workers.
Acts of violence are currently the 3rd leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics 2021 analysis. Sadly, intentional injury by persons grew by 10.3% in 2021 with no signs of slowing down. Since workplace violence continues to present itself as a major concern for employers and employees nationwide, it is important to ensure that your workplace is prepared for such an event.
4 Types of Workplace Violence
Violence by Criminals- These are violent acts committed by people who have no connection to the workplace except to commit robbery, general chaos, or other crimes.
Violence by the Public– These are violent acts committed by customers, patients, and visitors who occupy the premises to receive goods/services that you provide as an organization. In these situations, violent reactions by customers are often triggered by a disagreement, anger, or other violent reaction to the cascading event.
Violence by Current/Former Employees– These are violent acts committed by current or former employees who resort to violence against their employer (or fellow employees) as a result of feeling wronged by an event or series of events occurring within the workplace.
Violence Associated With Personal Relationships– These violent acts are typically the result of conflict within a personal relationship that spills into the workplace.
Each type of workplace violence has unique circumstances that require varying responses. Unfortunately, no employer is immune, and no employer can totally prevent all violent acts from occurring. But there are universal approaches that all organizations should consider to reduce the risk of injury should the unexpected event occur. Consider these tips:
Tips for Employers
- Preparation– Develop a Workplace Violence Program that engages management and staff with the ability to recognize early warning signs of potentially violent situations and understand how to respond to potential (and actual) incidents. Just like we plan for emergency evacuation with fire drills, we should also plan for workplace violence drills.
- Protection– Maintain an ongoing security awareness process. Establish perimeter protection, controlled access to facilities, security patrols, metal detectors, alarm systems, lighting, employee enclosures, drop safes or non-cash handling policies, etc. Obviously, there are different security needs for differing organizations, so consulting with a security expert may be beneficial. Most perpetrators scope out their target before acting…the more secure the target, the less likely you may become the victim.
- Human Resources (Hiring-Selection/Performance Indicators)– Pre-employment screening can be a very effective prevention tool for averting future violent acts. Pre-hire screening activities such as criminal background checks, social media checks, and drug testing can help an employer identify concerning patterns of behavior. Employee performance indicators such as attendance, decreased productivity, stress, verbal aggression, and other unusual behaviors can often be clues that all is not well with a particular employee. Managers and Supervisors should be prepared to recognize and respond with support to the employee. Early intervention may defuse a violent situation before it ever erupts.
- Education– Your employees are your strongest asset, as well as your temperature gauge on how the operation is performing. Similarly, your employees will also give you the first indication that there may be concerns with a co-worker. Employees should be trained on how to recognize concerning behavior, and likewise, they need to feel comfortable with approaching management with those concerns. It is management’s responsibility to ensure that staff feels this level of open communication for a workplace violence program to be successful.
- Early Warning Response– When employees express concern, take it seriously. Management should respond quickly with their workplace violence process protocols. Proactively survey employees on the state of security and validate their input. Document and review all forms of violence, including near misses, and respond promptly with appropriate action.
For more information on workplace violence programs, please visit the following websites:
https://www.osha.gov/workplace-violence/prevention-programs
