The Top 3 Mistakes in Workplace Violence Prevention
Mistake number 1
Most organizations want to develop policies and procedures to establish what needs to be covered, who will do what, and, of course, discuss how things will be done. Thus, the first requirement that OSHA expects to take place in any successful workplace violence prevention program is “management commitment and employee involvement.” If you have already decided to start this process, you probably have met this OSHA guideline. The 2nd recommendation from OSHA is usually overlooked – and that is mistake #1. OSHA says you must conduct a “worksite analysis” to establish the need and the necessary steps to take to make your site safe from workplace violence.
A worksite analysis is the evaluation of the site or sites of the organization to determine potential hazards for workplace violence. This goes beyond hiring a security company to come in and conduct a site security survey – although it is a perfect beginning. This also includes looking at all the records of issues the company may have had and seeing how they were handled. By being upfront with this information, you are letting OSHA know (and others who may review your records later – should there ever be a workplace violence event on-site) that you have looked at everything, determined what was good or bad about what was done, and are now implementing plans to prevent future such problems.
One of the areas OSHA often looks to see if a group has really analyzed its needs is what other similar organizations or associations are doing. In other words, what are similar companies doing to prevent workplace violence, and should you be doing likewise? Additionally, have any of the trade associations the company belongs to addressed workplace violence? This information should be included as well.
Mistake number 2
A great deal of time and effort is put into addressing a violent act, and of course, the workplace violence bucket is much deeper than that. Therefore, all elements of workplace violence prevention must be addressed. Not only the potential “active shooter” but the bully, the harasser (sexual or otherwise), the intimidator, and the volatile intimate partner (sometimes called a domestic violence issue). These are much more likely to occur and have probably already happened in your organization. Generally, they are issues that get handled, but since they are recognized precursors to a potential workplace violence act, they must become part of the overall prevention program.
This means that it is very important to include a fair amount of explanation of these issues, how they should be addressed, reported, and handled—and by whom—and what the possible consequences are to those who commit one of these acts in the workplace violence prevention program policies and procedures. Equally important, training in all of these areas must occur for all employees at all levels.
Mistake number 3
Numerous recommendations from regulatory agencies and organizational associations are now considered the industry standard for a successful workplace violence prevention program. One of the more recent ones is the “ASIS/SHRM Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention American National Standard “ released in November of 2011, which sets the bar for what every organization must do (http://www.shrm.org/about/pressroom/pressreleases/pages/workplaceviolencepreventionandinterventionstandard.aspx). In today’s litigious society, a plaintiff’s attorney will simply refer to page 32 of this 80-page document for example, and ask the person representing the company in a civil suit why they did not follow the “standard” since it was written way back in November of 2011?
Hence, mistake #3 – not keeping up with what is needed for your organization. This does not just include proper training, threat management teams, or ensuring correct procedures. It also includes keeping up on the latest requirements and compliance issues. This is generally one of the duties you would assign your threat management team since it is a lot of work, and it allows for the variety of your team to bring forth what is new from their field of expertise to ensure you are covered. For example, the ASIS/SHRM document comes from a joint effort between the security and human resources industries.
Conclusion
An organization can develop an excellent program by putting together a workplace violence prevention program that covers all the usual concerns and making sure that these three common mistakes are avoided. At the same time, there may be other missed areas and errors that might be made. A workplace violence prevention expert consult could help minimize this but, more importantly, use common sense. If you can show that you did the best job you could do with the resources you chose and that you made a good-faith effort in designing the most successful program for your specific organization. That will go a long way in lessening the liability of a “mistake” that might occur. After all, first and foremost, we are all human. Unfortunately, that in and of itself means mistakes are likely to happen – what you do afterward makes the difference!
