Workplace Violence Prevention Policy

The safety and security of organization personnel, patients, and visitors is of vital importance. Threats, threatening behavior, or acts of violence against personnel, patients, visitors, or contractors will not be tolerated. It is the policy of the organization to provide a safe environment in order to conduct the mission of the organization in the most effective manner possible. 

Effective management of situations involving violence or threats of violence 

This policy supports the written procedures set forth by the organization s safety and health workplace violence plan, which is incorporated into this policy by reference. 

Workplace Any location, either permanent or temporary, wherein an anployee performs any work-related duty. This includes, but is not limited to, the building or facility 

The organization will not tolerate the following conduct or behavior  

---

An effective workplace violence prevention program starts with the commitment of management to the program and the involvement of employees followed by a written workplace violence prevention policy statement. The policy should state that the employer refuses to tolerate violence in the workplace and is committed to the development and implementation of a program to reduce incidents of violence in the workplace. 

Appendix P Sample Workplace Violence Prevention Policy... 

One step toward prevention of workplace violence is instituting a strong policy that has no tolerance for workplace violence. The policy should cover workers, patients, clients, visitors, contractors, and others who come into contact with employees. Particular preventive actions come from hazard and risk analysis and identifying factors that may contribute to violence cases and conditions. Another approach is training employees to recognize potential violence and to... 

Many management consultants who advise employers about workplace violence stress that to effectively prevent Type in events from occurring, anployers need to establish a clear anti-violence management policy, apply the policy consistently and fairly to all employees, including supervisors and managers, and provide tpropriate supervisory and employee training in workplace violence prevention. 

All hospitals should develop a comprehensive violence prevention plan. No universal strategy exists to prevent violence. The risk factors vary from hospital to hospital and from unit to unit. Hospitals should form multidisciplinary committees that include direct care staff as well as union representatives (if available) to identify risk factors in spedtic work scenarios and to develop strategies for reducing them. All hospital workers should be alert and cautious when interacting with patients and visitors. They should actively participate in safety training and be familiar with their employers policies, procedures, and materials on violence prevention. The NIOSH defines workplace violence as violent acts (including physical assaults and threats of assaults) directed toward persons at woik or on duty. This includes terrorism as illustrated by the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001,... 

Although not exhaustive, OSHA s guidelines and recommendations include policies, procedures, and corrective methods to help prevent and mitigate the effects of workplace violence. Engineering controls remove hazards from the workplace or create a barrier between the worker and specific hazards. 

In most workplaces where risk factors can be identified, the risk of assardt can be prevented or minimized if employers take appropriate precautions. One of the best protections employers can offer their workers is to estabhsh a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence. This pohcy should cover all workers, patients, chents, visitors, contractors, and anyone else who may come in contact with company personnel. By assessing their worksites, employers can identify methods for reducing the hkehhood of incidents occmring. 

---