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Are you prepared to prevent violence at your workplace? Here’s how to assess your workers’ risk and steps to keep them safe.
Who’s at Risk?
Some jobs and some workplaces carry an increased risk of violence. High-risk jobs include:
- Taxi and delivery drivers. Because they work alone, carry cash, and can be lured to remote areas, these workers are at increased risk.
- Healthcare workers. Healthcare workers suffer the highest rates of nonfatal assaults of any group, especially if they work with psychiatric patients and/or violent criminals, or if they work with controlled substances.
- Law enforcement officers. Working in high-crime areas alone or in pairs, law enforcement officers are at high risk.
- Retail workers. Workers in late-night retail stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, gas stations, and other robbery targets are especially at risk.
Join us on Thursday July 2, for our in-depth webinar, Workplace Violence in Healthcare and Social Services: Strategies for Assessing Risk and Protecting Workers
Job-related risk factors for workplace violence include:
- Exchanging money with the public
- Working with volatile, unstable people, like criminals, psychiatric patients, or distraught family members in the emergency department
- Working alone or in isolated areas
- Working where alcohol is served
- Working late at night
- Working in areas with high crime rates
What to Do
How can you prevent violence in your workplace? OSHA recommends that employers:
- Develop policies and procedures covering violence prevention. Make sure that workers know what conduct is not acceptable, what to do if they witness or are subjected to workplace violence, circumstances under which they can refuse to provide service, and how to protect themselves.
- Secure the workplace. Video surveillance, extra lighting, and alarm systems can discourage criminals, and the use of identification badges, electronic keys, and guards can minimize their access to the workplace.
With the release of the revised OSHA guidelines, safety managers in the healthcare and social service settings have a perfect opportunity to take a closer look at their existing workplace violence prevention programs. Click here to learn more!
- Limit the amount of cash on hand. Keep a minimal amount of cash in registers during evenings and late-night hours, and make sure drivers do not carry large amounts of cash.
- Protect field staff. Field staff should have cell phones and handheld alarms or noise devices. They should also prepare a daily work plan and keep a contact person informed of their location throughout the day. If they use an employer-provided vehicle, keep it properly maintained.
- Use escorts. Introduce a “buddy system” or provide an escort service or police assistance in potentially dangerous situations or at night.
Tomorrow, we’ll discuss another type of emergency: hazardous materials releases.