• The combination of management and employee involvement in workplace violence prevention programs is essential to the program’s success.
• Management should acknowledge the value of a safe, healthful, violence-free workplace and take steps to ensure programs get the attention they deserve.
• Employees should provide feedback and insight for the programs to ensure the programs meet their specific needs.

Management commitment and worker participation are essential elements of an effective violence prevention program. Management’s ability to provide full support for the development of the workplace’s program, combined with worker involvement, is critical for the success of the program. One way to develop procedures that ensure management and employees are involved in the creation and operation of a workplace violence prevention program is to hold regular meetings — possibly as a team or committee.

Management’s commitment

Effective management leadership begins by recognizing that workplace violence is a safety and health hazard. Management commitment, including the endorsement and visible involvement of top management, provides the motivation and resources for workers and employers to deal effectively with workplace violence.

This commitment should include:

• Acknowledging the value of a safe, healthful, violence-free workplace and ensuring and exhibiting equal commitment to the safety and health of workers;
• Allocating appropriate authority and resources to all responsible parties, including access to information, personnel, time, training, tools, or equipment;
• Assigning responsibility and authority for various aspects of the workplace violence prevention program to ensure all managers and supervisors understand their obligations;
• Maintaining a system of accountability for involved managers, supervisors, and workers;
• Supporting and implementing appropriate recommendations from safety and health committees;
• Establishing a comprehensive program of medical and psychological counseling and debriefing for workers who have experienced or witnessed assaults and other violent incidents;
• Ensuring that trauma-informed care is available for workers who want/need it;
• Establishing policies that ensure incidents and near misses are reported, recorded, and monitored; and
• Ensuring that no reprisals are made against anyone who does report or record an incident in good faith.

Additionally, management should:

• Articulate a policy and establish goals,
• Allocate sufficient resources, and
• Uphold program performance expectations.

Employee involvement

Through involvement and feedback, workers can provide useful information to employers to design, implement, and evaluate the program. Workers with different functions and at various organizational levels also bring a broad range of experience and skills to program design, implementation, and assessment. The range of viewpoints and needs should be reflected in committee composition.

Employee involvement should include:

• Participating in the development, implementation, evaluation, and modification of the workplace violence prevention program;
• Participating in safety and health committees that receive violent incident reports or security problems, making facility inspections and responding to recommendations for corrective strategies;
• Providing input on additions to or redesigns of facilities;
• Identifying the daily activities that employees believe put them most at risk for workplace violence;
• Discussing and assessing improvement strategies for policies and procedures — including complaint and suggestion programs designed to improve safety and security;
• Ensuring that there is a way to report and record incidents and near misses, and that issues are addressed appropriately;
• Ensuring that there are procedures to ensure that employees are not retaliated against for voicing concerns or reporting injuries; and
• Participating in employee training and continuing education programs.