Prevent Workplace Violence with a Plan
By: Jennifer Leahy | Friday, December 03, 2010
You have insurance to protect your business against theft, accidents and natural disaster. Although you probably won’t ever experience a catastrophic loss, it’s smart business to be prepared.
Establishing a workplace violence plan is another measure all businesses should take to ensure that assets and employees are protected.
Unlike insurance, a workplace violence plan can actually help prevent an incident.
After workplace violence occurs, employees often come forward and say “I knew this was going to happen,” says corporate security specialist Don Greenwood.
He defines workplace violence as, violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can occur at or outside the workplace and can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job‐related deaths.
Whether it’s the climax of an employee-to-employee bullying problem, domestic violence that spreads into the workplace, a disgruntled current or former employee or a random act of violence, there is almost always an identifiable preceding event.
“In about half of the cases, management will get a tip that this is going to happen,” says Greenwood.
A workplace violence plan allows business owners and managers to analyze how likely they are to encounter a workplace violence incident and to what extent they could be impacted by an incident. A plan also allows businesses to prepare when an incident occurs.
With such a plan there is a much reduced chance that a catastrophic loss will occur as a result of violence. Even one hour of training can provide employees with a frame of reference to draw upon if they are confronted with an active act of violence.
The natural response is shock – which can paralyze those who have not thought through how they would behave in such a situation.
Though it’s possible to conduct business for many years without a workplace violence policy, it’s definitely a risk for business owners.
In the unfortunate situation where your employees become involved in an active violent situation at work, training may save many lives.
Statistics on workplace violence are unreliable since data is maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and doesn’t filter out crimes committed against police officers, convenience store clerks or taxi drivers, says Greenwood.
But experts concur that incidents are becoming more frequent as workers grapple with the myriad of issues caused by a shaky economy.
A workplace violence plan provides a framework for employees to bring forth situations or instances they find uncomfortable. Even if your business never experiences any sort of violent occurrence, employees will likely find comfort in knowing their safety is paramount to their employer.
Aside from a moral obligation to protect employees, employers also may face legal issues – and punitive damages – if they fail to establish and adhere to a workplace violence plan.
“A plan provides major mitigation of liability,” says Greenwood.
