Going to work on workplace violence

Jun 1, 1998 12:00 PM, EMILY HARWOOD

           

Have you heard this one? What do a pawn shop owner, convenience store clerk, psychologist, two sanitation managers, tavern owner, fisherman, cook, two cab drivers, furniture store owner, restaurant manager, maintenance supervisor, video store owner and postal carrier have in common? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), all were murdered at work in the same week. If it doesn't sound like a joke, that's because it isn't. In 1992, the CDC declared workplace homicide a serious public health problem. After making this declaration, the CDC, in conjunction with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, cited six factors deemed to increase the likelihood of homicide in the workplace: - contact with the public; - exchange of money; - delivery of passengers, goods or services; - working alone or in small numbers; - working late night or early morning hours; and - working in high-crime areas. Homicide was the third leading cause of death in the workplace between 1980 and 1989; in 1992, it was the leading cause. Most deaths occurred in connection with robberies, but nearly 13 percent occurred in an office or factory, the result of work disputes between workers, customers and clients; and about 4 percent of the time, homicides were the result of personal altercations, commonly involving a female worker's current or former spouse or boyfriend. Today, violence in the workplace is the leading cause of death for women at work and the second leading cause for men. According to a 1993 survey by Northwestern National Life Insurance Co., 2.2 million workers are physically attacked, 6.3 million workers are threatened, and 16.1 million workers are harassed each year. Crime in the workplace is a serious problem that causes loss of human lives and economic loss in terms of productivity. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, each year almost l million individuals become victims of violent crime while working. The bureau reports that about 500,000 victims of violent crime in the workplace lose an estimated 1.8 million workdays each year and more than $55 million in wages, not including days covered by sick and annual leave. Many organizations from both the private and government sectors have risen to the challenge of researching the cause and effects of workplace violence. These organizations have developed suggestions for the prevention and deterrence of crime in the workplace, along with programs to equip employers to deal with such situations.

Debate over guidelines In June of 1996, the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more commonly known as OSHA, released a draft entitled "Guidelines for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs for Night Retail Establishments." The document states that, out of the 1,071 occupational homicides in 1994, half occurred during robberies of small retail establishments such as grocery or convenience stores, fast food restaurants and gas stations. The following physical changes, which may help to reduce or prevent incidences of violence in the workplace, are suggested in the OSHA document re-released to the public on April 28, 1998: - Improve visibility by providing adequate lighting and installing mirrors; keep signs and shelves low. - Install drop safes and signs that indicate little cash is kept on-hand. - Maintain video surveillance. - Provide silent and personal alarms. - Establish emergency procedures, including communications systems, training and education. - Restrict customer access by reducing store hours and closing portions of a store. - Take precautions when going to remote, isolated spots such as garbage areas and outdoor freezers. - Lock doors not in use. - Increase staffing during high-risk periods. - Install bullet-resistant enclosures. There has been much debate surrounding these and other recommendations by OSHA. In 1996, retailers enlisted members of Congress to object to the issuance of the OSHA document. Protesters argued that the guidelines were a federal intrusion into the private sector. The strong opposition nearly quashed the effort until Charles Jeffress took over as chief of OSHA last year. Current concerns of the retail industry are that the OSHA guidelines, while only recommendations, could become laws within specific regions, or could be used as a basis for private lawsuits. The OSHA guidelines are available on the Internet at http://www. osha.gov.

Violence by non-strangers The Defense Personnel Security Research Center prepared a document for the Private Sector Liaison Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police on the subject of workplace violence. The document focuses on violence committed by non-strangers, e.g., coworkers, bosses, clients and domestic partners, within a common worksite. The intent of this document is to provide employers and law enforcement with guidelines that may help reduce certain workplace violence hazards. The law enforcement guidelines were developed with input from more than 300 chiefs and commanding officers representing large, medium and small departments. The employer guidelines were derived from the input of various sources, including business owners, managers, supervisors, lawyers; and security, personnel, human resources, threat assessment and employee assistance specialists. The document may be obtained by writing to: International Association of Chiefs of Police, 515 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2357.

Preparedness key to prevention Not surprisingly, workplace safety concerns are being addressed by individual unions. The Service Employees International Union has developed a sample contract that provides protection for workers from on-the-job assault. A portion of it reads: "The employer shall develop written policies and procedures to deal with on-the-job assault. Such policies must address the prevention of assault on-the-job, the management of situations of assault, and the provision of legal counsel and post-traumatic support to employees who had been assaulted on the job by clients or the public." Also discussed in the proposal are staffing levels, the installation of security devices, employee training and a proposal that the employer assist in prosecuting offenders. Finally, the protector protects itself by disclaiming any union responsibility for assuring workplace safety.

Employees on the edge Crime and violence in the workplace is not only becoming more prevalent, but the variety of possibilities for it also makes it difficult to deter, as seen in the following examples: - The infamous Edmond post office incident of August 1986 involved Patrick Sherrill, who had worked for a year and a half as a full-time substitute letter carrier before he went on a shooting spree, killing 14 employees. - In October of 1995, a husband entered the bank where his wife was employed, shot and killed her, then killed himself. The aggressors involved in these incidents were non-strangers. How could these events have been prevented? Other instances of workplace violence commonly occur at service jobs such as convenience stores, gas stations and banks. As this article is being written, the police in Carmel, Ind., are searching for suspects from two separate shooting incidents in banks in that city. If the public is allowed - even encouraged - to enter, what can be done to prevent violence? One answer is preparation - in the form of training. Edge Training Systems, Richmond, Va., is a developerof video-based training programs and services. "On The Edge" is a new program by the company that addresses workplace violence. According to Dan Thompson, vice president of product development, "Prevention of violence in the workplace takes more than just awareness and policies. Employees and managers must be able to recognize situations before they escalate into violent events." The program includes a video with nine scenarios in which employees face volatile and potentially violent situations. The training programs include follow-up discussion about the events portrayed and how they should best be handled. Role playing and take-home assignments are also part of the training program. A chapter of the program book entitled "Recognizing the Warning Signs" lists the following as a common profile of a violent worker: - white male; - 25 to 50 years old; - tends to be a loner; - has a history of violence; - demonstrates a fascination with weapons; - has history of conflict with others; - may exhibit signs of depression; - may appear paranoid or display other personality disorder behaviors; and - likely to exhibit self-destructive behaviors such as drug abuse. More information about the On The Edge training program can be obtained by calling 800-476-1405. Other resource materials pertaining to workplace violence can be received from the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Boulder, Colo.

The new kid on the block: remote video In addition to preparations such as training programs, technology provides "a new kid on the block" in workplace crime and security: remote interactive video. The basic remote interactive video system involves CCTV cameras installed at remote locations. Cameras can be located at entrances, cash registers, warehouses, parking lots - wherever there is a need for surveillance. A video transmitter is integrated with the CCTV system, which has the ability to dial-up a remote visual command center where intervention specialists are on hand. This dial-up function can be activated either by the visual command center itself or by an alarm triggered at the monitored site. When an alarm is triggered, the system will automatically dial up the central station and begin providing live video of the scene and alert the command center to a potential problem. On-site personnel may call up the visual command center to report suspicious behavior or other concerns and to ask for help. Panic buttons can also be provided which, when activated by an employee, will automatically connect the system functions, alerting the visual command center of a possible incident. Remote interactive video provides communication of video to outside locations and simultaneous two-way audio. It allows interactive communication between intervention specialists and the remote site, which may clarify, deter or defuse transpiring events. In many cases, the visual command center may find itself witnessing potentially threatening circumstances. With simultaneous audio and video transmission, the intervention specialist can influence the outcome of events by announcing his or her presence, issuing voice commands, or contacting local law enforcement with details of the situation. Robot, a division of Sensormatic Electronics Corp., Boca Raton, Fla., is in the process of developing a product specifically with this type of intervention application in mind. The new bi-directional, remote video system will feature perfected audio links and increased zone control. Effective audio and zone control, which are essential to intervention, have been the weak point of many remote video products currently available.

Elements of prevention Francis James D'Addario, a certified protection specialist and certified fraud examiner, wrote a book called The Manager's Violence Survival Guide, which discusses the subject of workplace violence in depth. In his epilogue, D'Addario sums up the predicament of workplace violence: "No single item or checklist ensures our safety or security efforts must include training, awareness, communications and reporting. "Technology will even the playing field once the prevention basics are in place Although government by itself is not a solution, it must be a working partner and servant of the people for our public safety objective ... In the interim, we will need to remain students of violence prevention."

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