McGruff

Take Action Against Workplace Violence:

A Workplace Guide from the Economic Crime Task Force

                        You hear about it on the news. A disgruntled ex-employee fires 
a gun into the office where he recently worked. His former co-workers hit the 
floor – some hide, some scream 
          and some are wounded.

        It Could Happen in Your Office?

                        Each year, nearly two million individuals become victims of 
violent crimes while 
           working. Almost 87% of workplace homicides (1,071 in 1994) are the result of robbery and occur in workplaces considered to be high risk, according 
to the 1994National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, U.S. Department of Labor.

                        It is the other 13% that frequently make the news. You hear of
the employee who is wounded by a violent spouse, or a manager is killed by an unhappy employee or customer. Although infrequent occurrences, every 
workplace should take appropriate action today.

                        Workers just trying to earn a living should not be afraid to go 
to work. We have to recognize the danger and warning signals of workplace violence.

        Types of Workplace Violence:

                        As safety and health conditions in the workplace have 
improved, there has been a shift from traditional work-related injuries and 
fatalities to assaults and homicides. It is alarming that a growing number of 
states list homicide as the leading cause of death in the workplace. Violence is grouped according to the assailant’s link to the victim.

        Type 1: No Relationship to the Workplace

                        The assailant has no relationship to the workplace or the employees, and usually enters the workplace to commit a robbery. Examples 
are high-risk workplaces, such as convenience stores, liquor stores and gas stations, and high-risk occupations, such as cab driving and protective services. Type 1Violence victims often work latte at night and alone, and exchange money with the public.

  Type 2: Relationship Through a Service Product

                        A disgruntled customer attacks one or more employees of the workplace that 
          provides a product or service. Victims frequently involve law enforcement personnel, bus drivers and retail salespersons. In increasing numbers, health-care and social workers are attacked by the people they are trying to help.

   Type 3: Relationship Through an Employee of the Workplace:

                       Usually the Type 3 Assailant has a dispute with an employee of 
the workplace, and can be a current or former spouse, relative or friend. Any workplace is at risk for Type 3 violence as it is not associated with any specific workplace or occupation.

                        Although Type 3 events receive significant media attention, they account for a much smaller proportion of fatal workplace injuries. The most prevalent Type 3 events involve threats and other types of verbal harassment, which are taken care of immediately in a zero-tolerance workplace.

          Preventive Measures to Reduce Workplace    
        Violence:

                        Prepare an action plan for your workplace. The different preventive measures. A study of the violence risk factors associated with your workplace is the cornerstone of your effective workplace security plan. Even though the understanding of risk factors is not perfect, sufficient information is available to reduce the risk of violence in your workplace. Employers must 
educate their employees with a plan appropriate to the type of risk they face.

        Identify Risk Factors for Your Workplace

                        Working conditions are an important factor in Type 3 violence. “Getting back at the boss” has its source in the work environment. Catalyst Consulting Group, Inc., a change management company, lists the warning signals that can result in “explosions of rage.”

·        Too many rules implying a low degree of trust of workers.

·        “It’s not my job” indicating no accountability and poor leadership.

·        Pushing employees without reasons, training and input.

·        Lack of recognition, also a leadership problem.

·        A work climate that treats mistakes as “fatal.”

Risk factors of Type 1 and 2 situations can include early morning 
hours of a lone convenience store employee or increased gang-related fights brought into a hospital’s emergency room.

            Domestic violence often follows the worker to the place of employment. The recognition of Type 3 warning signals of domestic violence are best observed by employees in daily work interaction, and 
can include visible abuse or comments of abuse, of being stalked or 
fearing for their lives.

Form A Risk Management Team

            Whether a team of two in a small business or a large team in a corporation, the team’s function is to identify the workplace’s risk situations, establish an action plan and present i9t to the employees. The team can include management, supervisors and emplo9yees. After your risk factors are identified, you can:

            Implement effective work practices, especially with Type 1 
and 2 situations. Strong management commitment is necessary to ensure a secure workplace. For example, preventive measures for a convenience store are better lighting inside and outside, a sign stating that a drop 
safe allows only a minimum of cash on hand, and increasing the number 
of staff on duty. Installation of silent alarms and surveillance cameras 
are good safety measures for Type 1 and 2 violence.

Awareness is the key.

            Even high-risk workplaces can reduce the risk of violence 
with an action plan, which depends on:

·        Zero tolerance for all violence, including verbal harassment.

·        Employee awareness and involvement.

·        Strong management commitment.

          Make Employees Aware. Treat them with respect and let them participate in making “their” workplace safe. Give employees instruction and training to ensure they can assist in recognizing and reducing risk factors in their workplace. Bus drivers should know how to recognize potential violence in the passengers on their bus. All employees should 
be alert to early warning signs of co-workers’ stress, both at work and at home.

            The action plan should emphasize that neither managers nor employees are allowed to engage in verbal or physical threats or any 
action that could result in violence. It is important to implement a system 
for employees without fear of reprisal, to advise the employer of 
workplace security hazards.

            Expand your employment procedures. An important key to preventing workplace violence by co-workers is in pre-employment screening of work history and references, education, criminal history, 
and records for credit, motor vehicle, workers’ compensation and 
military. This screening suitably documented, will also help you in 
defending a negligent hiring lawsuit if violence should occur.

                        Train your supervisors. They are the leaders of the action plan, 
            and will ensure all employees are informed and trained. If present when      
            emergencies arise, they should deal with the situation. Supervisors 
            should initiate providing individual or group counseling for workers 
            suffering personal and work problems. They should lead their workplace 
            in enforcing the zero-tolerance policy against any violence including verbal 
            harassment.

                        Offer a program for all employees. Be aware of changes in the    
            workplace environment. Be alert to possible drug abuse problems. 
            Depending on the workplace, random 
           drug testing may have to be initiated. Never underestimate the potential    
           impact of substance abuse on the workplace.

       What to Do When an Assault Occurs:

                        Procedures for notifying the police and emergency assistance     
           should be part of your action plan. Measures to handle assaults 
           correspond to the individual workplace and the type of violence. For example, Type 1 guidelines recommend no resistance if you are robbed at 
          gunpoint, staying calm and speaking in a cooperative tone. Identifying 
          specific guidelines for your workplace is a function of your risk 
         management team.

                        Response, reporting and counseling are important. Respond 
           to all issues that are reported. After an incident has been identified or an 
          assault has occurred, management should investigate and correct   
          the situation, all part of your action plan. Reporting, in some cases, 
          includes a police report. Procedures for investigating and reporting some 
          assaults are regulated by government agencies.

                        Make counseling available for employees who have experienced 
           workplace violence whether verbal harassment or being threatened at 
           gunpoint. The mission of the workplace action plan is to ensure the safety of 
           all employees.

        What is the Cost of Workplace Violence?

                        $15.3 billion was spent in medical costs for the two million 
           Americans attacked at work during 1992, according to the National 
           Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. The cost of workplace  
           violence – to the employee, the employer and industry is alarming.

                        Johnson & Kinney’s Breaking Point, 1994, reports that 110,000 
           incidents of violence cost American companies $4.2 billion in 1992 in 
          loss of life, morale and property. They further note that 425 workplace 
          incidents were reported each day, and one serious incident can easily cost 
          an individual employer 4250,000 or more.

                        A Northwestern National Life Insurance Co. survey estimates 
          that in 1992 2.2 million workers were victims of physical attacks, 6.3 
          were threatened and 16.1 million harassed. The high cost of workplace 
          violence is evident when you note the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ average 
          of five days away from work in 1992 for victims of assaults.

                        Although statistics vary, all are alarming. And they don’t include the 
          multitude of assaults that experts say are not reported.

            Employers should know their liability and the dollar cost of 
          loss of morale and productivity.

                        Commitment from management, employees and government is 
           necessary to reduce the risk of workplace violence. An action plan 
           involves pre-employment screening, procedures for reporting warning 
           signs, and training and counseling. Some offices, because of a difficult 
           work environment, will have to make major changes; others will only 
           need minor 
           changes.

            We’ve recognized there is a problem. Let’s look at the 
          workplace and make some changes:

                        Workplace Violence is the physical and/or emotional assault of 
           an employee while at work. Assaults on employees, including managers 
           and supervisor, are becoming commonplace. The resulting physical and 
           emotional harm is a threat to the individual worker and to the heart of 
           the country’s economy.

         Workplace Violence Committee Members:

          Maurice M. Bell
            Committee Chairman
            Community Policing Bureau
            Seattle Police Department
            Seattle, Washington

           Frank Adamson, Chief
           King county Sheriff’s Office
           Seattle, Washington

          Doug Blank, CFE
          Assistant Director
          Special Investigations Unit
          Safeco Insurance Company
          Seattle, Washington

          G.D. Hall, Postal Inspector
          US Postal Inspection Service,
          Seattle, Washington

          Norman Kates
          Chairman, Washington Economic Crime
          Task Force
          Seattle, Washington

          Rosa Melendez, US Marshall
          United States Marshal Service,
          Western District of Washington,
          Seattle, Washington

          Tom Pool, Special Agent
          Drug Enforcement Administration
          Seattle, Washington

          Norm Prins, Special Agent-Group Supervisor
          Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
          Seattle, Washington

          Noreen T. Skagen, US Marshal (Retired)
          United States Marshal Service,
          Seattle, Washington

          Information, Resources and Assistance

          Local Law Enforcement Community Policing Bureaus, Crime Prevention 
          Units, Victim Assistance, Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence 
          Programs.

          Federal Law Enforcement Substance Abuse/Demand Reduction Programs.

         Community Crisis Information Hotline Programs

          Thank you to Safeco Insurance Companies for preparing and printing this 
          brochure.