 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
EYE ON THE PROFESSION
Workplace Violence We are our brother's keeper in the workplace
On February 5, 2001, a deadly shooting took place at Navistar International Corporation in Melrose Park, Ill., which left five people dead—including the gunman—and four people injured. It was a senseless act of workplace violence carried out by a disgruntled employee. This tragic event, which took place relatively close to my home and work—and others such as Columbine and the Oklahoma City bombing—remind me that we live in a violent society and that no one and no workplace is guaranteed safety. I'm sure many of you have experienced a day or two of uneasiness after "letting go" an employee who was not performing satisfactorily or felt "on edge" after an unpleasant incident in the gym which involved calling in the police. Thoughts of "what if" have crossed all of our minds at one time or another. Staggering Statistics Workplace violence has emerged as an important safety and health issue in human resource departments across the country. It's most extreme form, homicide, is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. Nearly 1,000 workers are murdered, and 1.5 million are assaulted in the workplace each year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' "Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries" there were 709 workplace homicides in 1998 accounting for 12 percent of the total 6,026 fatal work injuries in the United States. These truly are staggering statistics. If you haven't thought about workplace violence or, more importantly, haven't taken any precautionary actions, hopefully these statistics as well current headlines will convince you that now is the time to act. Types of Violence According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workplace violence is any physical assault, threatening behavior or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting. It includes but is not limited to beatings, stabbings, suicides, shootings, rapes, near suicides, and psychological traumas such as threats, obscene phone calls, an intimidating presence, and harassment of any nature including being followed, sworn at or shouted at. Workplace violence incidents can be divided into four categories depending on the relationship between the assailant and the worker or workplace. These categories include: Violence by Strangers - Violence committed by a stranger who has no legitimate relationship to the worker or workplace. Violence by Customers/Client - Violence committed by someone who receives a service provided by a business. This type of violence can be divided into two types. The first involves people who may be inherently violent while the second type is situational where an otherwise nonviolent client becomes violent. This typically happens when a customer is denied a needed or desired service or they receive poor service. Violence by Co-workers - Violence committed by a perpetrator who has an employment relationship with the workplace. Violence by Personal Relations - Violence committed by someone who has a personal relationship with an employee. Under the General Duty Clause [Section 5 (a) (1) of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) Act of 1970] employers have both a legal duty and moral obligation to provide a safe workplace for their employees. OSHA highly recommends that each employer establish, implement and maintain a written workplace violence prevention program. Elements of this program should include:
• a clearly written company workplace violence policy
statement;
To be successful, workplace violence prevention efforts must have the commitment and involvement from 8 | Illinois Parks and Recreation WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
top management, supervisors, and all other employees. Practical Suggestions Steven J. Kleinman, general counsel for the Park District Risk Management Agency, shared with me some commonsense tips regarding prevention of workplace violence. He made it perfectly clear that you can't decriminalize the workplace, but you can take some very simple and practical actions to prevent workplace violence. • Start with your employment application. You want to deter would-be criminals from gaining employment at your agency. Ask in your application if the applicant has ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving sexual or criminal assault. Certain crimes will preclude applicants from employment. • State in your application that mandatory criminal background checks will be completed. Make sure you follow-through with these checks, evaluating the results and comparing each individual result with the job applied for. • All new employees should be drug-tested. • It's a must to check references. You can have the applicant sign a waiver form that releases former employers from liability arising from reference checks. Normally, past employers are hesitant to give any information about past employees other than confirming employment dates. This release form breaks down legal obstacles and allows past employers to be honest and share in-depth information. Former employers can actually be held liable for withholding pertinent employment information. • Personnel policy manuals should be up-to-date. They should be given to all employees unless it is cost-prohibitive. In that case, at least all full-time and regular part-time employees should receive a copy. • Policies and procedures should be reviewed regularly with employees. Park and recreation agencies have a high staff turnover rate. Proper staff orientations should be provided for all employees. • It's very important to establish a zero tolerance policy and include it in your personnel policy manual. More importantly, it is imperative that employers enforce this policy. (See sample policy below.) • For current employees who show signs of problem behavior, if an employer doesn't face it, they are enabling it. Utilize outside resources such as your Employee Assistance Program or local social service agencies to help current employees. You should establish a policy that requires the employee to seek help or their employment will be terminated. • Make sure your employees know that when in doubt, dial 911. • If a potentially dangerous situation presents itself, employees need to report it. Employees should receive training to promote recognition of hazardous situations and facilitate employee comfort in reporting threatening behaviors. As Kleinman notes: "Many people look at their fellow employees as family. In many work environments, a sense of community exists and great pride is taken in the organization's collective accomplishments. "We are our brother's keeper in the workplace. Employees should feel responsible for not only watching out for their own safety, but for the safety of their fellow employees. Ultimately, employees should be held accountable for reporting potentially dangerous situations." Keys To Prevention Knowledge and action are the keys to preventing workplace violence. Employers who have experienced infrequent incidents of violence may find it difficult to decide which safety measures are most appropriate. Many Illinois park and recreation agencies already have existing policies and procedures in place which may only need to be reviewed and updated. Hopefully, these suggestions will help you take the necessary actions to prevent a serious situation at your organization. •
Taking It Further If you would like in-depth information regarding workplace violence or the development of a workplace violence prevention program, check out these Web sites.
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration - www.osha.gov
May/June 2001| 9 |
|
|
