OSHA General Industry · Part 9: Bloodborne Pathogens, Recordkeeping, Workplace Violence and Safety and Health Programs
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9.3 Workplace Violence
Workplace violence is any act or threat that is related to the workplace. The cost in physical, psychological and financial terms is so great that no organisation can ignore it and hope it goes away.
Who commits it: four types
| Type | Who | Typical case |
|---|---|---|
| Type I | Strangers with no relationship to the workplace or its workers | Robbery and other crime |
| Type II | Customers, clients and others who receive a service | A large share of non-fatal injuries |
| Type III | Current or former co-workers or supervisors | A wish for revenge for a perceived injustice |
| Type IV | People who have a personal relationship with an employee | Difficulties in a relationship that reach the workplace |
Modes of abuse
- Physical abuse is the infliction of bodily harm, by hands and feet, an object or a firearm. Its effects range from minor cuts to lasting injury, and it also has emotional effects such as depression and despair. Sexual abuse, including unwanted sexual advances, is one of its most common forms. Victims are mostly women, but many are men.
- Verbal abuse includes insults, degrading or discriminatory remarks and threats of harm to you or your family. It causes no direct physical harm, so co-workers and managers often ignore it, and it is hard to prove if it is done in private.
- Emotional or psychological abuse is the most subtle. It usually follows verbal or physical abuse and brings despair, low self esteem and sometimes thoughts of suicide or violence. Victims can get stuck in a cycle in which insults make them believe the criticism and their performance suffers.
Effects
Violence reduces the productivity of the whole organisation. Even co-workers who were not abused work less after an incident, because of absence, loss of concentration and loss of motivation, and resignations rise. The largest financial losses usually come from lawsuits, which claim that the organisation was negligent about the safety of employees or customers. Longer term damage comes from lower productivity, absence and distraction.
Prevention
- Screen applicants with careful background checks.
- Handle dismissals with steps that reduce the chance of a violent reaction.
- Use security: guards, cameras, security tags and controlled access.
- Run awareness programs on the harm of violence and abuse and on what to do about it.
- Write a workplace violence prevention program, which brings all the measures into one policy. The employer forms a committee to develop and oversee it, carries out a risk assessment, writes the policy and develops training. A crisis response plan covers the worst case.
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