Preventing Violence

There is a very dangerous common myth that workplace violence is essentially random and unpredictable. According to this way of thinking, because violence cannot be predicted, we can’t do anything about it.

The reality, however, is that violence can be predicted and prevented. Violence can be prevented even in workplaces that serve groups of the public who tend to be aggressive and violent. In almost every situation, there are solutions. Some are easy, painless and cheap, while others are more difficult and more expensive. Solutions differ greatly from occupation to occupation, and from workplace to workplace. Nevertheless, there are measures that can make the work environment less dangerous, even in the most dangerous workplaces.

1. Identify the conditions that increase the chances of violence (risk factors).

Identifying risk factors involves looking at the work environment, work practices, and victim and perpetrator characteristics.

Environmental risk factors that predict violence include:

• a violent society 
  
  
• a violence-prone neighborhood 
  
  
• the large number of weapons in circulation 
  
  
• early release of mental patients who have a history of violence 
  
  
• hospitalization instead of incarceration of violent criminals 
  
  

Work practices associated with workplace violence include:

• low staffing levels 
  
  
• working alone 
  
  
• working late at night or early in the morning 
  
  
• working with money or prescription drugs 
  
  
• long waits for services by customers, clients or patients 
  
  
• the lack of available services 
  
  
  

Victim characteristics include:

• working in homes or in the community; 
  
  
• handling money or prescription drugs; 
  
  
• working in correctional institutions or institutions for the mentally ill or developmentally disabled without adequate training in violence avoidance or self-defense; 
  
  
• providing care, advice or information, such as health care workers, mental health workers, emergency room and admission workers, and social services workers; 
  
  
• dealing with complaints, such as social service, child welfare and unemployment workers; and/or 
  
  
• having the authority to act against the public, inspect premises and enforce laws, such as inspectors, child welfare workers, law enforcement/corrections officers and security guards.
  
  

Characteristics of those who commit violence (perpetrator characteristics) include:

• persons with a history of violent behavior 
  
  
• gang members 
  
  
• relatives of injured persons 
  
  
• drug users 
  
  

2. Eliminate or reduce risks.

As with other health and safety problems, first try to eliminate the problem. If this is not possible, then attempt to engineer or build the problem out of the workplace. Finally, change administrative procedures.

Try to remove the problem:

Mental health and social service workers are frequently assaulted by patients or residents in health care or social service facilities who should be in jails or forensic facilities.

Engineering controls that can provide protection:

• metal detectors (stationary or hand-held) 
  
  
• changing office design to provide escape routes for employees 
  
  
• panic alarms 
  
  
• bullet-proof glass 
  
  
• entrance controls in certain parts of the building 
  
  
• closed-circuit TV cameras 
  
  
• restricting entrance to a facility after dark 
  
  
• mobile phones for field personnel 
  
  

Administrative controls that can reduce risks:

• additional staffing 
  
  
• a ban on working alone 
  
  
• recording accidents, verbal abuse and “near misses” 
  
  
• training in diffusing violent situations or in self defense 
  
  

Post-Incident Procedures

NOTE: Taining as the sole safety program element will create an impossible responsibility on the worker for safety and security for him or herself, co-workers or other clients. Other program elements must always accompany training.

Persons trained to treat people exposed to violent incidents should be called in immediately after an incident has taken place. Procedures such as critical incident debriefing, and sometimes long-term counseling may be appropriate — not just for victims of assaults, but also for witnesses or people doing similar jobs.

Worker-on-worker violence

Assaults or threats by one worker on another are very difficult issues for a union representative to resolve. On one hand, the union has to defend the member accused of threatening behavior, and on the other hand, the union representative must protect the other members.

It is important to attempt to discover the causes of a worker’s threatening behavior. Possible causes are:

• a “toxic” workplace (high stress levels, abusive management, threatened layoffs, etc.); 
  
  
• drug or alcohol abuse; 
  
  
• domestic problems (relationship, money, etc); and/or 
  
  
• mental health problems. 
  
  

Seek the help of a professional when there is a real risk of violence. Union representatives should not try to address potentially violent situations themselves.

It is useful to attempt to resolve these problems before the discipline and grievance process starts. Discipline and grievance procedures lead to winners and losers. The solution lies in getting help for the troubled worker, if possible. Employee assistance programs (EAPs) can often be useful.

Workplace violence policies

Every workplace should have a workplace violence policy that contains a management statement that violence or threatening behavior will not be tolerated, whether it comes from clients, customers, patients, inmates, co-workers or supervisors.

What to watch out for:

• Profiles: The media and many consultants promote the use of “profiles” that put workers into categories that allegedly measure the likelihood that they will become violent. These profiles are not very accurate and can be used by management to discriminate against employees. 
  
  
• Zero-Tolerance Policies: These call for the immediate termination of anyone violating the anti-violence policy. These often lack flexibility and can make workers reluctant to report incidents because they may feel that a co-worker will be fired instead of helped. 
  
  
• policies that do not apply to management; 
  
  
• policies that create committees that don’t include the union; and 
  
  
• policies that violate members’ contractual or due-process rights.