• Step-by-step assessments of a worksite can help reduce potential hazards and prevent violent incidences.
• Assessments should be conducted by a team that includes different levels of management, employees, operation representatives, and other important personnel.
• Periodic inspections of the workplace outside of the regular assessments help ensure that hazards are appropriately identified and handled.

A worksite analysis involves a mutual step-by-step assessment of the workplace to find existing or potential hazards that may lead to incidents of workplace violence. Cooperation between workers and employers in identifying and assessing hazards is the foundation of a successful violence prevention program.

Who should complete the assessment?

The assessment should be made by a team that includes senior management, supervisors, and workers. Although management is responsible for controlling hazards, workers have a critical role to play in helping to identify and assess workplace hazards because of their knowledge and familiarity with facility operations, process activities, and potential threats.

Depending on the size and structure of the organization, the team may also include representatives from operations, employee assistance, security, occupational safety and health, legal, and human resources staff. The assessment should include a records review, a review of the procedures and operations for different jobs, employee surveys, and a workplace security analysis.

Following the assessment

Once the worksite assessment analysis is complete, it should be used to identify the types of hazard prevention and control measures needed to reduce or eliminate the possibility of a workplace violence incident occurring. In addition, it should assist in the identification or development of appropriate training.

The assessment team should also determine how often and under what circumstances worksite analyses should be conducted. For example, the team may determine that a comprehensive worksite analysis should be conducted annually, but require that an investigative analysis occur after every incident or near miss.

Periodic inspections

Additionally, those conducting the worksite analysis should periodically inspect the workplace and evaluate worker tasks in order to identify hazards, conditions, operations and situations that could lead to potential violence. The advice of independent reviewers, such as safety and health professionals, law enforcement or security specialists, and insurance safety auditors may be solicited to strengthen programs. These experts often provide a different perspective that serves to improve a program.

Information is generally collected through:

• Records analysis,
• Job hazard analysis,
• Employee surveys, and
• Customer surveys.