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Preventing Violenceat the Workplace

CLC/RCI PartnershipandLabor Occupational Health ProgramCenter for Occupational and Environmental HealthUniversity of California, Berkeley2005

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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.

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Quiz

What Do You Know About Workplace Violence?

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What Is Workplace Violence?

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What Is WorkplaceViolence?

Workplace violence includes:

√ physical assault

√ threatening behavior

√ verbal abuse

√ harassment

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True or False?

Violence is one of the leading causes of death on the job?

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True

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause

of death on the job. Workplace violence is the second cause of death on the job.

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True or False?

Among workplaces, retail trades have the highest number of occupational homicides.

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True

The retail trades have the highest number of occupational homicides.

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True or False?

Disputes between

co-workers are the

main motive for

workplace homicides.

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False

Robbery is the main motive for workplace homicides in California (and nationwide).

Co-worker violence represents only 8% of workplace homicides.

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Quiz

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

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NIOSH

According to NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), 17 workers are murdered on the job each week in the U.S.

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High-Risk Occupations

Which retail industries had the highest risk for homicide? convenience and other grocery stores eating and drinking places gasoline service stations

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High-Risk Occupations

All of them:

√ convenience and other grocery stores

√ eating and drinking places

√ gasoline service stations

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Quiz

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

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NIOSH

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

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What Are The Three Different Types of Workplace Violence?

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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.

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California Workplace Homicides, 2003

83 Homicides (workplace murders) in California

Total Number of Workplace Fatalities in CA = 456

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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?

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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

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Violence Prevention Program Elements

Management Commitment and Employee Involvement

Worksite Analysis

Hazard Prevention and Control

Training Evaluation

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Management Commitment

Create and share a policy of violence prevention

Take incidents seriously Outline a security plan Assign responsibility,

authority and resources

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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

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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

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Hazard Prevention and Control

Engineering controls and workplace adaptation

Administrative and work practice controls Post incident response

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Engineering Controls and Workplace Adaptation

What are some examples of engineering controls that could be used to reduce violence in the retail sector?

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Engineering Controls

Door detectors, buzzers

Alarms Bullet resistant

barriers

Drop safes Visibility and

lighting Video surveillance Height markers

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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Training (cont’d)

Supervisors, managers and security personnel same training as all other workers additional training to help them

recognize, analyze and establish controls

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Evaluation

Recordkeeping Incidents Hazard analyses Recommendations from

police, consultants, employees Hazard correction Training and safety meetings

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.