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February 18, 2010
Violence Prevention in the Workplace
Recent news headlines underscore the serious concern of workplace violence today. Establishing a positive workplace environment and knowing what warning clues to look for goes a long way in workplace violence prevention.
Maintaining safety standards in the workplace remains a top priority among employers across the country, yet improvements can always be made to strengthen safety and reduce the risk of employee injury.
According to the latest workplace injury figures from the United States Department of Labor, violence is a leading cause of job fatalities, behind only transportation incidents, prompting numerous organizations to advocate stronger standards for violence prevention guidelines.
Last August, the Department of Labor reported that workplace suicides jumped by 28 percent in 2008, when a series-high 251 people fatally wounded themselves at work. Furthermore, homicides have been perennially among the four most frequent work-related fatal events between 1992 and 2008. In 2008, 445 workers were fatally shot (413) or stabbed (32) while they were at their jobs.
Such violent work incidents are reflected in recent news reports: In January, a factory plant worker in St. Louis fatally wounded three employees before committing suicide at work. The shooter was allegedly in the process of suing his employer over funds, according to the New York Times. Last Friday, five people were shot, three killed, at the University of Alabama-Huntsville campus when a college professor opened fire during a meeting with colleagues, the Associated Press reports.
While these cases are among the most severe examples of workplace violence, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) stresses that violence constitutes "all forms of harassment and any other act that creates a hostile work environment."
Promoting safety awareness among employees not only helps prevent hostility and potentially dangerous workplace situations, it also saves money for businesses. Work-related injuries and illnesses cost businesses billions per year in lost work wages, compensation and legal and security fees, in addition to reduced productivity due to absence or time off, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) (link best viewed in Internet Explorer).
The ASSE's Workplace Violence Survey and White Paper makes clear that employers are accountable for their employees' actions, even when a worker is acting against company policy. Therefore, raising safety measures early and actively helps ensure better adherence to safety protocols and regulations.
Establishing a positive workplace environment and knowing what warning clues to look for goes a long way in workplace violence prevention.
The ASSE recently recommended the following steps to help prevent workplace violence:
- Upper management should advocate a clear workplace-violence prevention policy.
- HR managers should consider and possibly revise their hiring procedures, which should typically involve an extensive background check on all employees.
- HR managers should encourage all employees to report harassing behavior or threats at the workplace.
- Employee training should include assessment and crisis management.
The NCAVC offers these additional violence-prevention guidelines:
- Prevention and safety planning should be proactive instead of reactive, and should be fostered by top-level management.
- Establishing a workplace violence-prevention plan that is based on a multidisciplinary team approach is most effective.
- Soliciting major corporations or associations to provide outreach and assistance to smaller businesses can be important in providing workplace safety support.
While media reports tend to highlight internal workplace violence, the National Crime Prevention Council says that 75 percent of work-related homicides are committed by unknown assailants who are at the workplace for robberies and other miscellaneous crimes. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides tips for handling such random acts and recommends employee participation in personal safety training programs.
It is crucial that employees remain well informed of their employer's emergency guidelines. In the event that an emergency response plan is needed, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which works with both local and state communities, may be consulted.
Recent/Related
Dangerous Jobs: Occupational Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities
Keep Your Business and Employees Healthy
Resources
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2008
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug. 20, 2009
Fatal Occupational Injuries by Event or Exposure, 2007-2008
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug. 25, 2009 (last modified)
Gunman Kills 3 Co-Workers in St. Louis Factory and Then Himself
by Liz Robbins
The New York Times, Jan. 7, 2010
Official: No Red Flags in Accused Shooter's File
by Bob Johnson, Mark Pratt and Stephen Singer
The Associated Press, Feb. 17, 2010
ASSE Offers Workplace Violence Prevention Tips
American Society of Safety Engineers, Jan. 7, 2010
Workplace Violence - Issues in Response
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
2004 Workplace Violence Survey & White Paper
by JoAnn M. Sullivan
American Society of Safety Engineers, May 2004
Take Crime Prevention to Work
National Crime Prevention Council
Factsheet: Workplace Violence
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2002
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Comment
6 CommentsHow about reducing the stress placed on employees? That will go a long way in reducing violence. Companies are trimming staff these days, yet insisting that those who remain pick up the slack. That on top of longer commutes results in more stress.
It's no wonder that those stats are up.
February 18, 2010 1:36 PMThe work is great at the B.P. Whiting, Indiana refinery in 2008. But since the economy went down, there is a lot of discontent working at B.P. as a contractor since the company is no longer Standard Oil. Lots of the workers told me that they liked working at the Citgo refinery in Lemont, Illinois. I also worked there and noticed different refinery protocals, but still really learned a lot at the B.P. training center and really was able to challenge my work more safely. I really did like Citgo's training at Three River Training Center out in Joliet, Illinois, too, despite being really happier out at B.P. Indiana refinery. Both worked us a lot of overtime, too. Citgo has a cafeteria with great food and that was much healthier than the B.P. Indiana refinery operations.This really made a difference in morale, I noticed at Citgo. Since being laid off in 2009, we are told a lot of contractor work is coming up in 2010 at B.P. of the refinery-expansion projects and big turnarounds, too. 2011 will be slow again, but busy in 2012 for the last year to complete the major refinery expansion plans.
February 18, 2010 5:20 PMGreg - Are you kidding me? That is a real bleeding heart liberal explanation. We are not victims unable to take responsibility for how we respond to stresses of life. We are not driven to violence because we break under the stresses of greedy business. Isn't that the same logic that Joseph Stack may have used today to justify flying a plane into a building in Texas? The bottom line: these people are murderers, not some poor slobs victimized by their bosses. They have no moral compass, they place no value on the lives of others, let alone their own. We do not need the help of government or other organizations to save us. We do need to get back to the belief systems that helped this country grow in to the greatest nation that ever existed. Back to the moral compass that created the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.
We are not victims, we are Americans.
February 18, 2010 5:44 PMRas - No I'm not kidding. But my goal is not to remove blame from individuals and place it upon businesses. All individuals must take responsibility for their actions.
My post was more in response to my own experiences with workplace violence. NOT murders, but the much more common physical altercations. These are situations in which an otherwise normal individual acts irrationally. These are cases in which people crack under pressure.
I guess I should have been a bit more specific in my comments. But let's be clear, I was not discussing the strength of the central government, religion or the decline of morals in this country.
February 19, 2010 11:30 AMGreg - But there again, to blame the pressure placed on us by employers which causes people to so call "crack" is again a passing of responsibility. We have choices. To stay or leave. To physically strike out on our fellow employees or take up a physical activity/hobby to create a venting opportunity. If we are feeling pressure at work, then we need to take an action. Again, to say we are unable to get out from the stress is victimization.
By the way, a moral and ethical compass, you mentioned religion, would prevent you from beating up the next guy. If you are that frustrated, kick the dog; if you do not have one, buy one. Hopefully the ASPCA will not read this :-)
February 19, 2010 1:19 PMThe best way to avoid bad bosses and violent workplaces is to see what the employees really think about their bosses and jobs. Sites like http://www.ebosswatch.com/ let you do background checks on potential bosses and employers.
February 21, 2010 9:22 AM
