Workplace Violence: Is Your Place of Business Safe... and Compliant?
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There has never been a greater need to assess the workplace for internal and external threats than there is right now. Stresses over the pandemic, political unrest, racial and social injustices, and overall uncertainty have many people feeling the pressure. This is not to mention the normal everyday stressors that we all experience resulting from relationships, jobs, finances, weather, and health. We have increasingly seen that temperaments are short, patience is little, tolerance is at a minimum, and insecurity is widespread. Overreacting seems to be commonplace and there is an overwhelming sense of isolation among everyone. With that said, the potential for increased violence is a real concern that must be paid attention to.
OSHA’s General Duty Clause
Per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) General Duty Clause, employers are required to provide a safe workplace that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees. Technically speaking then, workplace violence and active shooter events can fall under this regulation. To eliminate liability, employers must protect their employees from such incidents by completing a threat and vulnerability assessment of their site to determine if and what risks exist. Any findings would then need to be acted upon for mitigation.
Threat Assessment vs. Vulnerability Assessment
The first step in this process is to perform a threat assessment to determine what potential risks are likely for a given facility or location. Examples might include robbery, workplace violence, active shooter, and so forth. Next, the likelihood of each identified risk occurring, along with the associated impacts that are expected, must be considered. Once this has been accomplished, then a vulnerability assessment can be completed which will determine how susceptible the affected facility or location is to the risks.
Vulnerability Assessment Steps:
Inspection of the surrounding outside area of the facility including the perimeter of the property, outbuildings, parking lot, and vehicular/pedestrian access and egress. Blind spots and illumination are evaluated. Also, securement of doors and property boundaries are checked.
Inspection of the entire inside layout of the facility including all access and egress points, operations, offices, and any special/restricted areas. Blind spots, illumination, and unsecured rooms are evaluated. Securement of access and egress, as well as office doors, are checked. High hazard areas such as chemical and waste storage and/or special operations are evaluated as well.
Review of existing plans, policies, and procedures pertaining to employee accountability, visitor protocol, security, internal/external communication, and emergency notification systems.
Review of roles and responsibilities of personnel including all levels of employment and security guards if applicable.
Evaluation of the type of camera/video equipment used along with where it is located both internally and externally. Badge scan systems are checked for use and effectiveness. Firefighting and suppression systems are also looked at.
Interview of employees and management for feedback.
Review of a written Workplace Violence Risk Management Plan.
What Risk-Related Questions Need To Be Asked?
Questions that need to be asked during a Vulnerability Analysis include, but are not limited to:
Is the human factor recognized throughout the organization?
Do employees have a resource to go to for help?
Employee assistance goes a long way to deter negative reactions and prevent unfortunate outcomes in and out of the workplace.
Are employees working inside silos or is there a team atmosphere that promotes positive interaction?
Is your facility secure and is there controlled access?
Only people that are authorized should be on the property. There should be a process in place to account for everyone.
Has a visitor and/or contractor safety program been established?
Are there procedures in place for conflict resolution and terminations?
Is there a zero-tolerance policy in effect?
Does everyone know to say something if they see something?
Does annual training include preparing for workplace violence and active shooter events?
Is there a relationship with local law enforcement that includes regular visits and consultations?
Is there an emergency notification system and are there response procedures in place?
Have all potential risks been evaluated and addressed?
Finally, once these assessments are completed, an organization can consider prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery – all of which must be realized and addressed before a company can truly be considered to be doing its part to keep employees safe.
KERAMIDA is a full-service Environmental, Security, Health and Safety consulting firm that is prepared to provide your organization with both threat and vulnerability assessments to determine potential risks, put into place preventive measures, prepare for and provide a response protocol. KERAMIDA can also provide a comprehensive risk management plan that puts an emphasis on workplace violence and active shooter preparedness. Within this plan, training can be offered on what workplace violence is, how to prevent it from occurring, what the potential warning signs are for violence, what effective response measures are necessary, and clarification on what constitutes an active shooter event as well as how to survive such a scenario. Fill out our quick response form or call (800) 508-8034 to speak with one of our professionals today.
Blog Author
Andrew Tirmenstein
Senior Project Manager, Security, Health and Safety Services
ISO 45001 & ISO 14001 Auditor
KERAMIDA Inc.
Contact Andrew at atirmenstein@keramida.com.
