Workplace Violence

1. Workplace Violence School Staff Meeting 7/31/2018

2. The Numbers • 2 million American workers report having been a victim of violence at work according the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. • 400workplace homicides annually according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

3. Workplace violence is defined as behavior in which an employee, former employee or visitor to a workplace inflicts, or threatens to inflict damage to property, serious harm, injury or death to others at the workplace.

4. What actions can be considered workplace violence?

5. Workplace Violence • Direct threats or physical intimidation • Implications or suggestions of violence • Stalking • Physical restraint, confinement • Assault of any form • Name calling, obscene language, epithets • Harassing or threatening phone calls • Loud, disruptive or angry behavior that creates discord • Surveillance of a harassing nature • Destroying property, throwing objects • Blatant or intentional disregard for the safety and well-being of others • Illegal possession of a weapon on Shalom property

6. 4 Types of Workplace Violence • Violence by strangers • Violence by patients/customers • Violence by co-workers / former co-workers • Violence from personal relationships

7. Violence by Strangers • Includes robbery, assault, robbery, bomb threat, gang violence, rape, neighborhood shooting, etc. • Is often unpredictable

8. Actions • Know your surroundings Be aware of what is normal in your school • Is that a new car on the street? • Have those guys always hung out on that corner? • Knowing what is normal allows you to notice the changes.  • If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Trust your gut.

9. Violence by Patients/Customers • Patient/customer may be aggressive, angry, confused, mentally or physical abnormal, sexually aggressive • May include family members • Must be addressed

10. Causes of Violence by Patient or Customer • Stress and frustration • Low self-esteem • Mental and/or physical disorder • Medication reaction • Alcohol or illicit drug use • Poor coping skills

11. Actions • Document and report all issues of violence or concerns with patients / students • Enlist help from the school or Shalom’s behavioral health team • Do not see student without another adult present What other actions have you previously taken in this situation?

12. HIPAA • HIPAA Guidance and Resources The Office for Civil Rights has developed, and continues to develop, extensive guidance pertaining to the implementation of HIPAA Privacy Rule and emergency situations. • For circumstances that may necessitate the disclosure of PHI during an emergency, the Privacy Rule states: • To report PHI to a law enforcement official or other person reasonably able to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of an individual or the public.

13. Violence from Personal Relationships • Spousal/significant-other abuse, child custody, stalking, enemies, friends or drinking buddies, creditor, etc. • Difficult to address because of personal nature of problem • Must encourage openness and communication

14. Domestic Violence • Work can be a danger zone for those with an abusive partner because often it’s the only place a perpetrator can confront his or her victim. • Employees must notify HR if they have a protective or restraining order against someone.

16. Violence by Co-workers • Co-worker may be aggressive, intimidating or a bully, sexually aggressive, stressed out, angry, recently disciplined or discharged • Supervisor may be unaware or excuse behavior • May continue for extended time or may escalate quickly

17. No One Just “Snaps” • It’s unlikely that a person will suddenly come to work brandishing a gun without first acting out in some way. Often erratic and intimidating behavior has been building up for days or weeks and then escalates. • Oftentimes, perpetrators of crime display visible pre-event indicators. Even small bits of information promptly reported may be pieced together to prevent a violent act.

18. What are some of the indicators of potentially violent behavior?

19. In only 13% cases did subjects make verbal and/or written threats to cause harm to the target. • In 19% of cases, stalking or harassing behavior was reported prior to the attack. • In only 10 percent of the cases did the subject engage in physically aggressive acts toward the targets.

20. Warning Signs • Job Performance Changes: • Excessive tardiness or absences, especially if this was not the case in the past • Reduced productivity, especially of a previously efficient and productive colleague • Significant changes in work habits, including alternating high and low productivity or quality • Violation of safety or security procedures, including a sudden increase in accidents

21. Warning Signs (continued) • Personal Characteristics • Changes in health or hygiene: a colleague suddenly disregards personal health or grooming • Strained relationships at work, including disruptive or isolating behavior different from the past • Apparent signs of drug or alcohol abuse • Stress which may be indicated by excessive phone calls, yelling, crying, or personal difficulties

22. Warning Signs (continued) • Personal Characteristics (continued) • Inability to concentrate when that was not a problem before • Unshakeable depression, often having low energy, little enthusiasm; making despairing remarks • Unusual behavior for that individual, different from the past • Unusual fascination with weapons or stories of violence in the media • Threatening, intimidating, or harassing behavior

23. Formula for Workplace Safety

24. Active Shooter

25. During an active shooter incident, the natural human reaction, even for those who are highly trained, is to be startled, feel fear and anxiety, and even experience initial disbelief and denial. • There may be noise from alarms, gunfire and explosions, and people shouting and screaming. • Training provides the means to regain composure, recall at least some of what has been learned, and commit to action.

26. Your Responsibilities Each person carries a three-fold responsibility. • First, learn signs of a potentially volatile situation and ways to prevent an incident. • Learn steps to increase survival of self and others in an active shooter incident. • Be prepared to work with law enforcement during the response

27. What can you do to keep yourself safe in an active shooter situation?

28. The 4As Active Shooter Response • The 4As is a 4 step process to prevent or reduce loss of life in an active shooter event. They stand for: • Acceptthat an emergency is occurring. • Assesswhat to do next so that you can save as many lives as possible, which depends on your location. • Act: Lockdown (lock and barricade the doors, turn off the lights, have patients get on the floor and hide) or evacuate or fight back (last resort). • Alertlaw enforcement and security

29. Assessment • How close is the shooter? • Is there time to get everyone out safely? • Can the area be secured? • Should we shelter in place? • Should I prepare to defend myself and others? You must make decisions based on your assessment of the current situation and you must be prepared to act on those decisions

30. Active Shooter Video

31. RUN • Try to escape or evacuate the building • Encourage other employees and/or patients to leave with you and assist them as necessary • Once you are safely out of the building, call 911 • Try to prevent anyone from entering the building or walking into danger

32. Run • Leave personal belongings behind. • Visualize possible escape routes, including physically accessible routes for patients, visitors, or staff with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. • Avoid escalators and elevators. • Take others with you. Do not stay behind because others will not go. • In many instances, you might first need to hide and then run to safety when able.

33. HIDE • If you cannot get out of the building safely, find a safe place to hide • Secure your hiding place as best you can. Turn out lights, lock doors, and/or place furniture or other objects in front of the door • If a safe room is not available, try to conceal yourself under a desk or behind a large object • Silence your cell phone and remain quiet

34. Hide • Hide where the walls might be thicker and have fewer windows. • Wedge items under the door. • Identify ad-hoc weapons. • When safe to do so, use strategies to silently communicate with first responders(e.g., in rooms with exterior windows, make signs to silently signal law enforcement and emergency responders to indicate the status of the room’s occupants). • Hide along the wall closest to the exit but out of view from the hallway (the best option for ambushing the shooter and for possible escape if the shooter enters or passes by the room). • Remain in place until given an all clear by identifiable law enforcement.

35. FIGHT • As a last resort, if your life is at risk, fight the intruder • Commit to becoming the aggressor • Act with aggression and improvise weapons by using chairs or fire extinguishers to incapacitate the intruder

36. Fight • Say “I’m not dying today” and put up a fight—an approach endorsed by the Homeland Security Department • Pick up whatever is nearby—chairs, books, a fire extinguisher, etc—and attack or throw it at the assailant. • Yell and scream during attack to disorient the shooter.

37. 911 • In actual emergencies, timely intelligence is critical. When you contact the police, share with them essential information such as: • Location of the active shooter • Number of shooters, if more than one • Physical description of the shooter(s) • Number and type of weapons held by the shooter(s) • Number of potential victims at the location Law enforcement encourages all calls - no one should assume that someone else has called.

38. When Law Enforcement Arrives • The immediate purpose is to stop the active shooter as soon as possible. • Officers will proceed directly to the area in which the last shots were heard. • The first officers to arrive at the scene will not stop to help injured persons because their first priority is to eliminate the threat. They will need to secure the scene first. • Officers arriving on scene may be coming from many different duty assignments and will likely be in various types of uniforms and even in street clothes. Do not be surprised by the variations in appearance, as law enforcement personnel are trained to react quickly and work together.

39. What actions should you take when law enforcement arrives?

40. 7 Tips for Classroom Setup to Guard Against a School Shooter • Know the layout of your school and identify the nearest exits to your room • Place your work position as far from the door as possible • Sadly, a trend that appears in the school shooting tragedies of the past is that the teachers are typically the first target of an attack. Because of this fact, you should consider putting your work position farther away from the door, to help buy more time should an incident occur. • Consider arranging a low bookshelf or other furniture to create a path into the room • By creating a natural barrier on the way into the classroom, you build an obstacle that an intruder would have to work around to accomplish his mission. • Pre-plan how you will barricade your room in case of a violent intruder

41. Observe the type of door on your room • If your door opens in you should set up the room differently than if your door opens out. The type of door you have also impacts the way that you would barricade the door. Does the door have glass in it or beside it? What type of handle does it have? Is it a solid door or a hollow core door? Does it have a hydraulic opening arm at the top? Does the door handle lock with a key and do you have to go outside to lock it? • Know how to utilize your room windows • Consider alternative ways of evacuation from your rooms. If you have windows are you prepared to use them for evacuation purposes? How do your windows open? Can people fit through your windows? What floor are you on? Is it safe for people to drop from your windows? Prepare yourself for breaking the window if necessary. • Consider keeping your door locked at all times you have students in your room • If you are close to an exit, it is an immediate barrier that can exist if an attack begins just outside of your room. A locked door may buy you time during an attack.

42. Reporting Workplace Violence To report workplace violence where physical harm or injury to individuals or property damage is NOT imminent or in progress, contact your manager, any member of management or Human Resources. If a workplace violence situation is in progress, Run, Hide or Fight

43. Work in teams and create your plan for keeping your workplace safe and responding to an active shooter situation

44. Questions?