Preventing Workplace Violence

Nearly 2 million American workers report having been victims of workplace violence each year. Unfortunately, many more cases go unreported. So what steps can you take to minimize such risks? OSHA recommends a "zero-tolerance policy towards workplace violence," while the FBI says that "employers should adopt clear no-threats and no-violence policies and prevention plans." A business should prevent the root causes of workplace violence by "creating an atmosphere of fairness, trust and cooperation between employees and management," says the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. 

Other recommendations include:

•Communicate anti-violence policies for employees

•Survey employees to get their ideas about the risk of violence and preventive measures

•Train employees to recognize the warning signs of violence

•Provide violence prevention training for managers, especially regarding downsizing and termination procedures

•Provide physically secure workplaces 

•Adopt staffing policies that keep staff safe on the job

•Cooperate with unions and other business on employee safety

•Formulate action plans so managers and supervisors know what to do when violence occurs.

Richard V. Denenberg and Mark Braverman, the authors of an influential book called The Violence-Prone Workplace: A New Approach to Dealing with Hostile, Threatening, and Uncivil Behavior, caution managers and employers to avoid focusing too much on dysfunctional and violence-prone individuals, while not paying enough attention to the dysfunctional workplace. They identify failure to recognize and defuse conflicts as the primary causes of workplace violence.

Larry Chavez, an expert on workplace violence and crisis communications, recommends providing formal instruction for managers to recognize and eliminate organizational risk factors that have led to violence in other organizations. "They must also be instructed in defusing hostile employees so as to prevent an angry outburst from escalating into violence," he said. 

For more information on preventing workplace violence, see OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence/index.html or call the Programs Department at EPIC, Edgewood Partners Insurance Center, at (800) 234-6363 or visit epicbrokers.com.