• Workplaces can reduce or eliminate the risk of violence by implementing a violence prevention program that combines training, site analysis, and combined management and employee participation.
• OSHA doesn’t specifically regulate workplace violence prevention but does expect employers to keep employees safe.
• Recommendations include a combination of administrative controls, engineering controls, and worker training.

Violence prevention programs

A written program for workplace violence prevention, incorporated into an organization’s overall safety and health program, offers an effective approach to reduce or eliminate the risk of violence in the workplace. A violence prevention program focuses on developing processes and procedures appropriate for the workplace in question.

The building blocks of an effective workplace violence prevention program include:

• Management commitment and employee participation,
• Worksite analysis,
• Hazard prevention and control,
• Safety and health training, and
• Recordkeeping and program evaluation.

The components are interdependent and require regular reassessment and adjustment to respond to changes within an organization, such as expanding a facility or changes in managers, customers, or procedures.

A workplace’s violence prevention program should have clear goals and objectives for preventing workplace violence, be suitable for the size and complexity of operations, and be adaptable to specific situations and specific operations. As with any occupational safety and health program, it should be evaluated and reassessed on a regular basis.

Employer obligations

While the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) does not have specific requirements for employers regarding violence prevention, the agency expects employers to keep employees safe. Recommendations include:

• Assessing risks;
• Developing a safety and health program;
• Developing a procedure for employees to report concerns;
• Using engineering controls (as feasible);
• Using administrative controls;
• Training workers in, at a minimum:
  • How to recognize the earliest stages of a possible assault,
  • How to avoid or mitigate potential violent encounters (including some words that non-English speakers may use to help de-escalate an assault),
  • How to seek refuge/assistance if violence appears imminent, and
  • How to use restraint and/or release techniques.
• Establishing a comprehensive program of medical and psychological counseling and debriefing for employees experiencing or witnessing assaults and other violent incidents; and
• Providing reliable means of communication (e.g., two-way radios) to employees who may need to summon assistance.