Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Amid an uptick in workplace shootings, the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has created a new technical report containing guidelines for employers to prevent and respond to incidents of workplace violence.
Some EHS professionals may consider bullying an issue that falls on the shoulders of human resources (HR) to address. That’s a mistake, according to Catherine Mattice-Zundel, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, president of Civility Partners and a speaker at the upcoming 2019 Workplace Violence Prevention Symposium, taking place March 14th through 15th in San Antonio, Texas.
Do you prefer to read rather than listen? If so, you won’t miss out on our latest episode of EHS on Tap! Read the transcript of our recent conversation with Patrick Prince, associate vice provost and chief threat assessment officer for the University of Southern California, on the intersection of workplace violence and substance abuse. […]
Most organizations have some form of workplace violence prevention plan in place. However, that is only the first step. EHS, security, or HR personnel may not know how to effectively communicate this plan to employees, or how to appropriately communicate that an actual incident is in progress. According to 2019 Workplace Violence Prevention Symposium keynote […]
According to OSHA, nearly 2 million American workers report that they are victims of workplace violence each year. Unfortunately, even more instances of violence go unreported at organizations each year. Why? Because of a lack of preventive measures, policies, or mandated workplace violence training programs. And the costs are potentially huge.
Let’s say you have your workplace violence prevention plan in place, and you are conducting the training outlined in your plan. Part of the plan should include strategies for your workers to avoid harm. Here are four key tips to offer your workers should they be confronted with violence at your facility.
In mid-November 2018, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced legislation that would set a deadline for OSHA to issue the first national standard requiring that healthcare and social service employers develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce; the legislation has 22 […]
Remember the parable of the blind men and the elephant? Each man forms an incorrect conclusion about what the elephant is like, based on limited information. The man touching the elephant’s tail concludes that an elephant is like a rope. The man touching its tusk believed that the elephant was more like a spear. The […]
One of the most important tools for preventing workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities is a hazard assessment. Situations are analyzed to determine the risks they pose, and then employers decide how best to control those risks. Unfortunately, one increasingly common hazard has thus far defied our ability to predict and prevent it—mass shootings.
An OSHA standard to mitigate workplace violence in healthcare facilities does not appear to be on the horizon, but this is not because OSHA is not aware of the main provisions that would be included in such a standard. In fact, it is not uncommon for OSHA to issue citations against healthcare employers whose employees […]