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Post-incident response and evaluation are important components to an effective violence prevention program. Thoroughly investigating incidents of workplace violence provides a roadmap to avoiding fatalities and injuries associated with future incidents. The purpose of the investigation should be to identify the “root cause” of the incident. Root causes, if not corrected, inevitably recreate the conditions for another incident to occur.
Immediate first steps
When an incident occurs, the immediate first steps are to:
All workplace violence programs should provide comprehensive treatment for workers who are victimized personally or may be traumatized by witnessing a workplace violence incident. Injured staff should receive prompt treatment and psychological evaluation whenever an assault takes place, regardless of its severity — free of charge. Also, injured workers should be provided transportation to medical care.
Victims of workplace violence could suffer a variety of consequences in addition to their actual physical injuries. These may include:
Follow-up programs
Consequently, a strong follow-up program for these workers will not only help them address these problems, but also help prepare them to confront or prevent future incidents of violence.
Several types of assistance can be incorporated into the post-incident response. For example, trauma-crisis counseling, critical-incident stress debriefing, or employee assistance programs may be provided to assist victims.
Whether the support is trauma-informed or not, counseling should be provided by:
Alternatively, the employer may refer staff victims to an outside specialist. The employer may establish an employee counseling service, peer counseling, or support groups.
Counselors should be well-trained and have a good understanding of the issues and consequences of assaults and other aggressive, violent behavior. Appropriate and promptly rendered post-incident debriefings and counseling reduce acute psychological trauma and general stress levels among victims and witnesses. In addition, this type of counseling educates staff about workplace violence and positively influences workplace and organizational cultural norms to reduce trauma associated with future incidents.
Investigation steps
Once these immediate needs are taken care of, the investigation should begin promptly. The basic steps in conducting incident investigations are to:
Post-incident response and evaluation are important components to an effective violence prevention program. Thoroughly investigating incidents of workplace violence provides a roadmap to avoiding fatalities and injuries associated with future incidents. The purpose of the investigation should be to identify the “root cause” of the incident. Root causes, if not corrected, inevitably recreate the conditions for another incident to occur.
Immediate first steps
When an incident occurs, the immediate first steps are to:
All workplace violence programs should provide comprehensive treatment for workers who are victimized personally or may be traumatized by witnessing a workplace violence incident. Injured staff should receive prompt treatment and psychological evaluation whenever an assault takes place, regardless of its severity — free of charge. Also, injured workers should be provided transportation to medical care.
Victims of workplace violence could suffer a variety of consequences in addition to their actual physical injuries. These may include:
Follow-up programs
Consequently, a strong follow-up program for these workers will not only help them address these problems, but also help prepare them to confront or prevent future incidents of violence.
Several types of assistance can be incorporated into the post-incident response. For example, trauma-crisis counseling, critical-incident stress debriefing, or employee assistance programs may be provided to assist victims.
Whether the support is trauma-informed or not, counseling should be provided by:
Alternatively, the employer may refer staff victims to an outside specialist. The employer may establish an employee counseling service, peer counseling, or support groups.
Counselors should be well-trained and have a good understanding of the issues and consequences of assaults and other aggressive, violent behavior. Appropriate and promptly rendered post-incident debriefings and counseling reduce acute psychological trauma and general stress levels among victims and witnesses. In addition, this type of counseling educates staff about workplace violence and positively influences workplace and organizational cultural norms to reduce trauma associated with future incidents.
Investigation steps
Once these immediate needs are taken care of, the investigation should begin promptly. The basic steps in conducting incident investigations are to: