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Excerpt from the 2000 Edition of Illinois Employment Laws & Regulations:

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

Workplace violence is a significant problem in today's businesses.  Over 2 million Americans are victims of physical attacks at work each year.  Along with the disruption to business activities, them is a huge emotional toll by the victims and their families.  In addition, the potential for liability on the part of the employer is increasing under a number of legal theories.

When violence at work is mentioned, we think of angry employees for former employees carrying guns into the workplace.  Maybe at a post office.  The reality is that the primary motive for job-related homicides is robbery.  Of these homicide victims, 56% worked in the retailing or other service industry.  Taxi cab drivers, followed by law enforcement officers, are at the highest risk for becoming homicide or assault victims.  Altercations among coworkers and with customers and clients represent only about one-seventh of the homicides committed.  Many of these homicides were committed after the worker was fired or the customer or tenant was asked to leave the premises.

In 1998, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that there were 1,103 workplace homicides in 1997, accounting for approximately 18% of job-related deaths.  This was the lowest level in the 6 years that BLS has been conducting the annual census and was well under the 5 year average for the years 1992 - 1996 of 1,275.  BLS characterizes the drop as consistent with a decline in overall homicides nationally for the same period.  Still homicides continue to be the second leading cause of workplace deaths for both men and women.  Whatever the cause of violence, the employer should design plans to prevent it an deal with it if it occurs.  Some steps you can follow:

• Develop grievance procedures and employee assistance programs.  Inform your employees that such policies exist.
• Provide training in communication and human relations skills.  Management that does not communicate well or that bullies employees can cause violent reactions from employees.
• Develop workpllace security policies which could include security guards and television surveillance equipment.
• Connect alarms to the local police department alarm system.
• Lay out the operation so that cashiers can be easily seen from the sidewalk or street.
• Have well-lighted work areas.  If you have a company parking lot, it should be fenced and well-lighted.
• All doors and windows should have strong locks.
• Require regular deposits of cash directly to a bank or to an on-premises safe or vault so that cash registers have only small amounts of money in them at any time.
• Publicize the practice on signs so that the public knows cashiers do not have access to large amounts of money.

Important Behavioral Signals

Although one or two of these characteristics don't always mean an employee is potential violent, these signs should not be ignored:

• Violating company rules
• Angry or mean behavior
• Threats of Violence
• Paranoia
• Obsession with weapons

Factors that can set off a violent employee:

• Termination of employee
• Work force reductions
• Acquisitions or mergers by employers
• Disciplinary action against the employee

OSHA Guidelines

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued informational guidelines for employees seeking to provide an effective workplace violence prevention program.  These are not new standards or regulations.  In the OSHA booklet 3148 - Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Service Workers, OSHA provides its recommendations and encourages employers to establish their own violence prevention programs, adapted to the particular needs and resources of each place of employment. 

In is the position of OSHA under its "general duty" clause that if there is a recognized hazard of workplace violence and the employer does nothing to prevent it, it can be cited for a violation.  Employers should take action to prevent harm to their employees.

Violence Prevention Programs

OSHA reccomends four main components for an effective safety and health program that also apply to preventing workplace violence:

• Management commitment and employee invovlement
• Worksite analysis
• Hazard prevention and control
• Safety and health training

COMMENTARIES ON WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

March, 2001: American Society of Employers: Understanding Workplace Violence and Aggression

Also see: The Workplace Violence Research Institute

Workplace Violence: An Employer's Guide

"With proper planning and effective programs, employers can dramatically reduce incidents of workplace violence."

What's Growing in the Corporate Culture?

Success of a workplace violence prevention program depends to a large extent on the executive committee set up to establish and oversee the program.
 

Positive Steps for Screening Out Workplace Violence

"There are no perfect solutions for ending workplace violence called an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control but one California company has designed and implemented a screening program that comes close."

Preventing Violence in the Workplace

"Few would argue that over the past ten years, occupational violence has become a serious problem facing workers and employers alike."

Corporate Liability: Sharing the Blame for Workplace Violence

Negligent hiring and retention lead to lawsuits when store management fails to screen the applicants it employs.

The Cost of Workplace Law Suits to American Business

It is estimated that workplace violence resulted in a $36 billion annual loss.

Allen: A Business Nightmare: The Dangerous Employee

Government Resources:

US DOL/OSHA: Workplace Violence Awareness & Prevention (1996)

Informational & Instructional Package for both Employers and Employees.

US Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Statistics: Violence & Theft in the Workplace

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