Preventing Violence at the Workplace

1. Preventing Violenceat the Workplace CLC/RCI Partnership and Labor Occupational Health Program Center for Occupational and Environmental Health University of California, Berkeley2005

2. Training Objectives After completing the workshop, you will be able to: • Explain the facts about workplace violence. • Discuss Cal/OSHA’s three types of workplace violence. • List risk factors for potential violence in retail. • Describe several ways to prevent workplace violence. • Describe the elements of a violence prevention program. • Explain post-incident reporting and response procedures. • Discuss what to do in a robbery.

3. Quiz What Do You Know About Workplace Violence?

4. What Is Workplace Violence?

5. What Is WorkplaceViolence? Workplace violence includes: √ physical assault √ threatening behavior √ verbal abuse √ harassment

6. True or False? Violence is one of the leading causes of death on the job?

7. True Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death on the job. Workplace violence is the second cause of death on the job.

8. True or False? Among workplaces, retail trades have the highest number of occupational homicides.

9. True The retail trades have the highest number of occupational homicides.

10. True or False? Disputes between co-workers are the main motive for workplace homicides.

11. False • Robbery is the main motive for workplace homicides in California (and nationwide). • Co-worker violence represents only 8% of workplace homicides.

12. Quiz How many workers are murdered on the job each week in the U.S. (workplace homicides)?

13. NIOSH According to NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), 17workersare murderedon the job each week in the U.S.

14. High-Risk Occupations Which retail industries had the highest risk for homicide? • convenience and other grocery stores • eating and drinking places • gasoline service stations

15. High-Risk Occupations All of them: √ convenience and other grocery stores √ eating and drinking places √ gasoline service stations

16. Quiz How many U.S. workers are victims of non-fatal assaults on the job each week?

17. NIOSH According to NIOSH, 33,000 workers are victims of non-fatalassaults on the job each week in the U.S

18. What Are The Three Different Types of Workplace Violence?

19. Cal/OSHA’s Three Types of Workplace Violence • Type 1: A robbery or other criminal act committed by a stranger. • Type 2: An assault by a client, customer, member, passenger, inmate, student, or other person who receives services from the victim. • Type 3: A threat or violent act on the job by an employee, supervisor, former employee, or manager.

20. California Workplace Homicides, 2003 • 83 Homicides (workplace murders) in California • Total Number of Workplace Fatalities in CA = 456

21. What Is A Risk Factor For Violence? • A risk factor is any condition that may increase a worker's risk for experiencing violence. • What are some examples of risk factors on your job?

22. OSHA Risk Factors • Working alone or in small numbers • Working late night/early morning • Working with money • Delivering passengers, goods, or services • Working in high crime areas • Guarding valuable property or possessions • Contact with the public

23. Management Commitment and Employee Involvement Worksite Analysis Hazard Prevention and Control Training Evaluation Violence Prevention Program Elements

24. Management Commitment • Create and share a policy of violence prevention • Take incidents seriously • Outline a security plan • Assign responsibility, authority and resources

25. Employee Involvement • Participate in surveys and offer suggestions • Assist in security analysis and inspection • Help evaluate prevention and control measures • Train other employees • Share on-the-job experiences with other employees

26. Worksite Hazard Analysis Step-by-step, common sense look at the workplace to find existing and potential hazards: • workplace security analysis • review records and past incidents • periodic safety audits

27. Hazard Prevention and Control • Engineering controls and workplace adaptation • Administrative and work practice controls • Post incident response

28. Engineering Controls and Workplace Adaptation • What are some examples of engineering controls that could be used to reduce violence in the retail sector?

29. Door detectors, buzzers Alarms Bullet resistant barriers Drop safes Visibility and lighting Video surveillance Height markers Engineering Controls

30. Administrative and Work Practice Controls • What are some examples of administrative and work practice controls that could be used to reduce violence in the retail sector?

31. Administrative and Work Practice Controls (cont’d) • Integrate violence prevention into daily procedures • Minimal cash in register • Emergency procedures, systems of communication • Procedures to use barriers & enclosures • Increase staffing at high risk locations/times

32. Administrative and Work Practice Controls (cont’d) • Lock delivery doors • Establish rules for workers leaving facility • Lock doors when not open, procedures for opening and closing • Limit access • Adopt safety procedures for off-site work

33. Training • Ensure that all staff are aware of security hazards and protective procedures • Workers • potential risks • operational procedures • use of security measures • behavioral strategies • incident response • emergency action

34. Training (cont’d) • Supervisors, managers and security personnel • same training as all other workers • additional training to help them recognize, analyze and establish controls

35. Evaluation • Recordkeeping • Incidents • Hazard analyses • Recommendations from police, consultants, employees • Hazard correction • Training and safety meetings

36. Evaluation (cont’d) • Review post incident reports • Review minutes from safety meetings • Analyze trends in incidents, injuries, etc. • Consult with employees before & after worksite changes • Update information on violence prevention strategies

37. Responding to a Violent Incident ―Small Group Activity • Distribute the worksheet. • Break into small groups. Each small group has five minutes to rank the steps on their worksheet. • The whole class will compare answers and discuss any differences between the groups.

38. Post Incident Response ― Answers • Get medical care for injured victims • Report to police and other authorities • Inform management • Secure the premises • Safeguard evidence • Prepare incident report immediately • Arrange appropriate psychological treatment for victims

39. Is It Worth Your Life? Show the first 2-3 minutes of the video. Stop the video and discuss the following questions. Then continue the video.

40. Is It Worth Your Life―Small Group Activity • Break into small groups. Discuss the following questions. Pick one person to record your answers and report back to the large group.

41. Is It Worth Your Life― Discussion Questions • What steps could have been taken to prevent this robbery? • How should you handle cash? • How would you respond to a robber if robbed at gunpoint? • What should you do after the robbery occurs? After discussing these questions show the rest of the video.

42. Case Studies • Break into small groups. Each small group gets a a different Case Study to work on (Handouts #4-6). • Work for 10 minutes in your small group. • Discuss how you would handle the situation described in the Case Study. • Pick a recorder to report your group's answers back to the large group. Or you can do a role play if you prefer.

43. Case Study #1 2 workers are confronted by an armed robber who demands access to the safe. The workers walk with the perpetrator to the manager’s office. The robber tells the manager to open the safe by the count of ten. The manager offers no resistance, but is unable to open the safe in time. He is shot point blank in the face in front of his co-workers.

44. Prevention Measures for Case Study #1 • Activate an alarm system or panic button, use security cameras • Show empty cash register and that you don’t have access to the safe • Explain that you are having problems trying to open the safe • Talk to him in a soothing voice, try to give him some options

45. Case Study #2 A cashier/clerk in a mini-mart/gas station is found lying face down in the office by a customer at 3 am. The employee was alone on his shift. The cash register was empty.

46. Prevention Measures for Case Study #2 • Always have 2 employees working together during night shift • Increase visibility into the store • Panic alarm button available • Make sure there is adequate lighting in the parking lot • Leave cash registers open and empty when not in use and post sign indicating only limited amounts of cash in register

47. Case Study #3 A union steward approaches a female co-worker who comes to work with a black eye and bruises on her face and arms. She reveals that she is being physically abused by her partner, and that it has escalated over the past several weeks. Other co-workers have expressed fear and concern about the situation.

48. Prevention Measures for Case Study #3 • Comfort the worker. • Ask her to notify her supervisor or manager about the situation, so she can get protection on the job. • Your employer should investigate the situation and customize a response. For example, move her to a different work area. • Your employer may also get a restraining order. • Refer her to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE, or a local resource number if you have one. • There may be special forms to use if an incident involves domestic violence. • Check with your EAP program for other options.

49. Workshop Evaluation • What did you like best about this workshop? • What did you like least about this workshop? • What is one thing you will remember from this workshop? • Additional comments? Thank you for taking the time to complete this evaluation. Your input will be used to improve this program.