The article discusses ways that employers can prevent and respond to workplace violence. It notes that while total eradication of violence is impossible, proactive measures can be taken, including developing and communicating workplace violence prevention plans with senior management support. The article then provides answers to common questions about workplace violence, such as defining it, identifying at-risk workers, establishing policies, providing supervisor training, publicizing employee assistance resources, ensuring physical security, and fostering a respectful work environment.
2010 continued a three-year trend of record breaking EEOC charges, with 2010 charges the highest in the Commission’s 45-year history. Our challenging economy, increasingly diverse workforce, new EEO laws and recent court decisions are fueling this steady growth. Keeping up on the trends is critical to protecting your workplace, and sustaining a culture of respect and inclusion
What does this mean for employers? Enhanced anti-discrimination efforts are mission critical. Effective cultural change, behavioral change, and risk management require innovative and integrated anti-discrimination programs. Now, more than ever, reviewing and refining your organization’s EEO compliance programs is essential.
2010 continued a three-year trend of record breaking EEOC charges, with 2010 charges the highest in the Commission’s 45-year history. Our challenging economy, increasingly diverse workforce, new EEO laws and recent court decisions are fueling this steady growth. Keeping up on the trends is critical to protecting your workplace, and sustaining a culture of respect and inclusion
What does this mean for employers? Enhanced anti-discrimination efforts are mission critical. Effective cultural change, behavioral change, and risk management require innovative and integrated anti-discrimination programs. Now, more than ever, reviewing and refining your organization’s EEO compliance programs is essential.
Workplace violence is a phenomenon that can be experienced in many organizations. Every worker can be vulnerable to a kind or more of workplace violence. Employers have a role to protect employees from workplace violence before it happens and to make discussions with workers after any workplace violent incident. There must be some practices to ensure security in the workplace against violence.
FSU anti bullying handbook (FSU = Financial Sector Union)Flint Wilkes
This handbook has been developed to help FSU members identify and address workplace bullying. Your workplace should have a workplace bullying and harassment policy, and this handbook provides general advice to complement your specific workplace policy.
HRM 311 – WEEK 5
Risk Management
Involves responsibilities to consider physical, human, and financial factors to protect:
Organizational interests
Individual interests
Risk management involves responsibilities to consider factors to protect both organizational and individual interests.
Even though risk management often is a distinct business function, there are specific and separate risks associated with the supervision of employees. In the United States and other developed nations, HR departments are included in the prevention, minimization, and elimination of workplace risks.
There are a variety of risk management issues linked to HR, including the prevention of accidents and health problems at work, the protection of employees from workplace violence, and HR data security. Other issues can involve preparing for natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and global disease outbreaks.
2
Snapshot of Health, Safety, and Security
Specific rates vary depending on the industry, type of job, and other factors. For instance, illnesses and injuries in the private industry were down, but the agriculture, forestry, and fishing and hunting industry and the accommodation and food services industry experienced an increase in cases. Unfortunately, there is reason to believe that many organizations misrepresent how often injuries and illnesses occur in the workplace. Nearly half of employees investigated by OSHA for documentation problems failed to report accurate information about worker illnesses and injuries.
There are many other factors that likely lead to the underreporting of illnesses and injuries, including the following:
Lack of procedural knowledge on the part of employees and managers
Safety policies that provide a reason not to report cases
Belief that the company won’t get inspected
Concerns about workers’ compensation claims
Loss of needed contracts
3
Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation
Require payments be made to an employee for:
Time away from work because of an injury
Payments to cover medical bills
Retraining if a new job is required as a result of the incident
Under workers’ compensation laws, employers contribute to an insurance fund to compensate employees for injuries received while on the job. Premiums paid reflect the accident rates of the employers, with employers that have higher incident rates being assessed higher premiums. Depending on the amount of lost time and the wage level in question, these laws often require payments be made to an employee for the time away from work because of an injury, payments to cover medical bills, and for retraining if a new job is required as a result of the incident
Workers’ compensation coverage has been expanded in many states to include emotional impairment that may have resulted from physical injury, as well as job-related strain, stress, anxiety, and pressure. Some cases of suicide have also been ruled to be job related in some s ...
Dealing with bullying at work - A guide for workersFlint Wilkes
This guidance note is to help workers identify and deal with bullying in the workplace.
Bullying can adversely affect the safety and health of employees, it is unlawful under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (the Act), and the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996.
This guidance note recommends that workplace bullying be treated like any other safety and health hazard.
Michael Cosgrove from Workplace Laws discusses:
- Steps to prevent workplace bullying
- The process of dealing with workplace bullying after it occurs
- Legal frameworks, resources available for businesses and options for employees to have their workplace bullying issues dealt with effectively
Cover your workplace with LawPath's Workplace Policies Bundle: http://bit.ly/1AFe9VM
Preventing Workplace Harassment - Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment.pdfLisa Bell
Discover how to halt workplace harassment. Establish a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment. Effective methods for enhancing your workplace.
Introduction1management has both legal and moral responsibil.docxmariuse18nolet
Introduction
1
management has both legal and moral responsibilities to provide a safe and healthy workplace
work-related accidents, injuries, and illnesses are costly
Approximately 4,500 work-related deaths and approximately 3.1 million injuries and illness are reported each year in the United States
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
2
OSHA
1970 federal legislation
established health and safety standards
authorized inspections and fines for violations
empowered OSH Administration to ensure standards are met
requires employers to keep records of illnesses and injuries, and calculate accident ratios
applies to almost every U.S. business engaged in interstate commerce
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
3
imminent danger: where an accident is about to occur
fatalities and catastrophes accidents that have led to serious injuries or death: Employer must report within 8 hours
employee complaints: employees have right to call OSHA
referrals from other federal, state or local agencies, individuals, or news media
OSHA’s Six Inspection Priorities
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
4
5. Follow-ups
inspection of industries with the highest injury or illness rates
6. Planned or Programmed Investigations
random inspection
Supreme Court ruled (Marshall v. Barlow’s Inc., 1978) that employers are not required to let OSHA inspectors enter without search warrants
most attorneys recommend companies cooperate with inspectors
meat processing
lumber and wood products
roofing and sheet metal
chemical processing
transportation
warehousing
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
5
industries with high incidences of injury (incident rates) must keep records for OSHA
basis for record-keeping is Form 300
must report any work-related illness; report injuries that require medical treatment besides first aid, involve loss of consciousness, restriction of work or motion, or transfer to another job
incidence rate: number of illnesses, injuries or lost workdays as it relates to a common base of full-time employees
OSHA’s Record-Keeping Requirements
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
6
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 allows fines up to $70,000 if violation is severe, willful and repetitive
fines can be for safety violations or failure to keep adequate records
courts have backed criminal charges against executives when they have willfully violated health and safety laws
OSHA Punitive Actions
OSHA: A Resource for Employers
7
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
is a government agency that researches, sets OSHA standards and makes
recommendations to prevent work-related illness and injury.
1. fostering management and employee involvement
2. offering worksite analysis
3. teaching hazard prevention and control
4. training employees, supervisors, managers
OSHA also helps small businesses and entrepreneurs by
Contemporary Safety and Health Issues
8
workplace
violence
in.
The HR Policy Manual offers the mandatory information about office dealing with with out violating any legislation. The significance of the HR coverage handbook is unparalleled, and a few of the insurance policies are written under. https://www.ezhrconsultants.com/hr-policy-review-manual.html
Workplace violence is a phenomenon that can be experienced in many organizations. Every worker can be vulnerable to a kind or more of workplace violence. Employers have a role to protect employees from workplace violence before it happens and to make discussions with workers after any workplace violent incident. There must be some practices to ensure security in the workplace against violence.
FSU anti bullying handbook (FSU = Financial Sector Union)Flint Wilkes
This handbook has been developed to help FSU members identify and address workplace bullying. Your workplace should have a workplace bullying and harassment policy, and this handbook provides general advice to complement your specific workplace policy.
HRM 311 – WEEK 5
Risk Management
Involves responsibilities to consider physical, human, and financial factors to protect:
Organizational interests
Individual interests
Risk management involves responsibilities to consider factors to protect both organizational and individual interests.
Even though risk management often is a distinct business function, there are specific and separate risks associated with the supervision of employees. In the United States and other developed nations, HR departments are included in the prevention, minimization, and elimination of workplace risks.
There are a variety of risk management issues linked to HR, including the prevention of accidents and health problems at work, the protection of employees from workplace violence, and HR data security. Other issues can involve preparing for natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and global disease outbreaks.
2
Snapshot of Health, Safety, and Security
Specific rates vary depending on the industry, type of job, and other factors. For instance, illnesses and injuries in the private industry were down, but the agriculture, forestry, and fishing and hunting industry and the accommodation and food services industry experienced an increase in cases. Unfortunately, there is reason to believe that many organizations misrepresent how often injuries and illnesses occur in the workplace. Nearly half of employees investigated by OSHA for documentation problems failed to report accurate information about worker illnesses and injuries.
There are many other factors that likely lead to the underreporting of illnesses and injuries, including the following:
Lack of procedural knowledge on the part of employees and managers
Safety policies that provide a reason not to report cases
Belief that the company won’t get inspected
Concerns about workers’ compensation claims
Loss of needed contracts
3
Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation
Require payments be made to an employee for:
Time away from work because of an injury
Payments to cover medical bills
Retraining if a new job is required as a result of the incident
Under workers’ compensation laws, employers contribute to an insurance fund to compensate employees for injuries received while on the job. Premiums paid reflect the accident rates of the employers, with employers that have higher incident rates being assessed higher premiums. Depending on the amount of lost time and the wage level in question, these laws often require payments be made to an employee for the time away from work because of an injury, payments to cover medical bills, and for retraining if a new job is required as a result of the incident
Workers’ compensation coverage has been expanded in many states to include emotional impairment that may have resulted from physical injury, as well as job-related strain, stress, anxiety, and pressure. Some cases of suicide have also been ruled to be job related in some s ...
Dealing with bullying at work - A guide for workersFlint Wilkes
This guidance note is to help workers identify and deal with bullying in the workplace.
Bullying can adversely affect the safety and health of employees, it is unlawful under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (the Act), and the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996.
This guidance note recommends that workplace bullying be treated like any other safety and health hazard.
Michael Cosgrove from Workplace Laws discusses:
- Steps to prevent workplace bullying
- The process of dealing with workplace bullying after it occurs
- Legal frameworks, resources available for businesses and options for employees to have their workplace bullying issues dealt with effectively
Cover your workplace with LawPath's Workplace Policies Bundle: http://bit.ly/1AFe9VM
Preventing Workplace Harassment - Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment.pdfLisa Bell
Discover how to halt workplace harassment. Establish a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment. Effective methods for enhancing your workplace.
Introduction1management has both legal and moral responsibil.docxmariuse18nolet
Introduction
1
management has both legal and moral responsibilities to provide a safe and healthy workplace
work-related accidents, injuries, and illnesses are costly
Approximately 4,500 work-related deaths and approximately 3.1 million injuries and illness are reported each year in the United States
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
2
OSHA
1970 federal legislation
established health and safety standards
authorized inspections and fines for violations
empowered OSH Administration to ensure standards are met
requires employers to keep records of illnesses and injuries, and calculate accident ratios
applies to almost every U.S. business engaged in interstate commerce
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
3
imminent danger: where an accident is about to occur
fatalities and catastrophes accidents that have led to serious injuries or death: Employer must report within 8 hours
employee complaints: employees have right to call OSHA
referrals from other federal, state or local agencies, individuals, or news media
OSHA’s Six Inspection Priorities
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
4
5. Follow-ups
inspection of industries with the highest injury or illness rates
6. Planned or Programmed Investigations
random inspection
Supreme Court ruled (Marshall v. Barlow’s Inc., 1978) that employers are not required to let OSHA inspectors enter without search warrants
most attorneys recommend companies cooperate with inspectors
meat processing
lumber and wood products
roofing and sheet metal
chemical processing
transportation
warehousing
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
5
industries with high incidences of injury (incident rates) must keep records for OSHA
basis for record-keeping is Form 300
must report any work-related illness; report injuries that require medical treatment besides first aid, involve loss of consciousness, restriction of work or motion, or transfer to another job
incidence rate: number of illnesses, injuries or lost workdays as it relates to a common base of full-time employees
OSHA’s Record-Keeping Requirements
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
6
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 allows fines up to $70,000 if violation is severe, willful and repetitive
fines can be for safety violations or failure to keep adequate records
courts have backed criminal charges against executives when they have willfully violated health and safety laws
OSHA Punitive Actions
OSHA: A Resource for Employers
7
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
is a government agency that researches, sets OSHA standards and makes
recommendations to prevent work-related illness and injury.
1. fostering management and employee involvement
2. offering worksite analysis
3. teaching hazard prevention and control
4. training employees, supervisors, managers
OSHA also helps small businesses and entrepreneurs by
Contemporary Safety and Health Issues
8
workplace
violence
in.
The HR Policy Manual offers the mandatory information about office dealing with with out violating any legislation. The significance of the HR coverage handbook is unparalleled, and a few of the insurance policies are written under. https://www.ezhrconsultants.com/hr-policy-review-manual.html
This presentation was delivered as a keynote talk at one of IQ's Security Industry Forum meetings on the 26th July 2013. The presentation is about the future of physical intervention training in the security industry sector and why there is a need for change and what form that change should be in.
Memphis business journal.examining ways to prevent and respond to workplace violence.links.2.1.13
1. Friday, February 1, 2013
Examining ways to prevent and respond to
workplace violence
Memphis Business Journal by Barbara Richman
As acts of workplace violence unfold across our country, there are times when we are faced with
events that many previously would have believed to be unthinkable. When these incidents take
place, as they occurred recently at an elementary school in Connecticut where teachers and
young children were gunned down, Americans are touched by a harsh reality. We are reminded
that this violence can occur anytime and anywhere and has the potential to impact not only the
victims, but also employers, families, communities and an entire nation. Although most acts of
workplace violence are less horrific, they still can have a damaging effect on those involved and
overall organizations. Workplace violence is a concern that each employer should address.
While acts of violence cannot be eradicated totally and no one is immune, proactive measures
can be taken by every employer. With the support of senior management, organizations can
make and communicate plans for preventing and responding to workplace violence.
The following are questions and answers to assist employers in making preparations for their
workplaces:
1. Which federal agency establishes workplace safety and health standards? The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration sets and enforces workplace safety and health standards for
most private workplaces. Public sector employees in a number of states, including Tennessee,
also are covered by similar standards.
2. How does OSHA define workplace violence? According to the agency, workplace violence is
any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive
behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults
and homicide and can affect and involve employees, clients, customers and visitors.
3. What types of information on workplace violence does OSHA provide for employers? The
agency’s website on workplace violence, www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence, has tabs that
enable viewers to access information on risk factors, prevention programs, training and other
resources, and enforcement.
4. What standards has OSHA established for workplace violence? Currently, there are no
specific standards. However, under the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and
2. Health Act (OSH Act), employers are required to provide a place of employment that “is free
from recognizable hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious harm to
employees.”
5. What legal obligations does the General Duty Clause establish for employers? The courts have
interpreted the clause to mean that an employer has an obligation to provide a workplace free of
conditions or activities that either the employer or industry recognizes as hazardous and that
cause, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to employees when there is a feasible
method to abate the hazard. Additionally, an employer that has experienced acts of workplace
violence, or becomes aware of threats, intimidation, or other indicators showing that the potential
for this violence exists, would be on notice of the risk and should implement a workplace
violence prevention program combined with specific controls and training.
6. Which workers are at higher risk of workplace violence? Workers identified by OSHA include
those who exchange money with the public, delivery drivers, healthcare professionals, public
service workers, customer service agents, law enforcement personnel, and those who work alone
or in small groups. The agency has issued a number of recommendations to prevent workplace
violence for workers who are exposed to higher risks, such those working in late-night retail
establishments, taxi and for-hire drivers, and health care and social service workers.
7. Has the organization developed a workplace violence policy and communicated it to all
employees? The policy that is adopted should provide examples of conduct that will not be
tolerated, forewarn employees that policy violations may result in discipline up to and including
termination, and outline procedures for supervisors and employees to follow in the event of
occurrences. It also should explain that it is the responsibility of all employees to report
situations involving potential workplace violence and that no retaliation will result.
8. Has supervision received training or information to assist them in understanding their
responsibilities? For example, supervisors and other managers should receive guidance in
identifying early warning signs associated with workplace violence. Assistance also should be
given regarding persons or departments to contact to determine whether any actions should be
taken.
9. Has the organization identified and publicized resources that are available to employees who
are dealing with stress and other issues? Employee assistance programs are an example of
services that employers can provide to assist employees in areas such as substance and alcohol
abuse, anger management and financial matters.
10. Have steps been taken to maximize the physical security of the workplace? Employers
should assess facilities and work sites to determine the level of protection necessary for
employees and other individuals at these locations. Any bans or restrictions on firearms or
weapons should comply with state and local laws.
11. Does the workplace reflect a respectful environment? There should be an expectation for all
employees to act in a manner that demonstrates respect for others. Those in leadership positions
3. should serve as role models in their day-to-day interactions, including times when terminations
or other disciplinary actions are required.
BARBARA RICHMAN is a senior consultant with HR Mpact, a Memphis human resource
consulting firm, www.hr-mpact.com. She can be reached at (901) 685-9084, (901) 496-0462 or
barbara@hr-mpact.com.