Case Study#1 Workplace Violence

ESLSCA, Intake 35D, 2011, Smart Village

Written By: Ashraf El Waheedy

Presented To: Dr. Hesham Sadek

Workplace Violence
1. Problem Definition
Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can occur at or outside the workplace and can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job-related deaths. However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide. And according to the Case in hand the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), roughly 20,000 assaults and 792 homicides occurred at workplaces throughout the US in 2005. Such violence prompted the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to label workplace violence a national epidemic.

2. Justification for the Problem Definition

There several justifications for the problem of Workplace Violence, which can be categorized as follows:

Psychological and Social Considerations

At an individual level, within a given population, it is possible to attribute various probabilities of violence to each member of this population based on their personal characteristics, like: Having had a violent past. Having had a difficult childhood due to maladjusted parents, a stormy relationship with family and a school life marked by failure. Having problems with psychotropic substance abuse, especially alcoholism. Suffering from a serious mental illness, the symptoms of which have neither been correctly diagnosed nor treated with appropriate therapy. Being in a situation which is likely to lead to violent acts against one or the others, such as having access to firearms.

Work Organization and Management

The confrontation between the attacker and the victim unfolds within the context of a welldefined organization where certain characteristics foster the emergence of violence: Overcrowded, poorly-ventilated, dirty and noisy premises. A lack of precision in the assignment of roles and responsibilities. A poorly-distributed workload. Too many bureaucratic procedures and a lack of decision-making autonomy among staff or with clients. A centralized and depersonalized organizational culture, tied to large companies in which the risks associated with management are higher than in small companies,

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A very authoritarian management style or one allowing very little participation, where there is too wide a gap between job design and task performance. A work environment where employees and groups of employees are isolated.

3. List of Alternatives
I have split the suggested of alternatives in two categories that share the responsibility between both the Employer and the Employees altogether:

Employer Alternatives
The best protection employers can offer is to establish a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence against or by their employees. In addition, employers can offer additional protections such as the following: Provide safety education for employees so they know what conduct is not acceptable, what to do if they witness or are subjected to workplace violence, and how to protect themselves. Secure the workplace. Where appropriate to the business, install video surveillance, extra lighting, and alarm systems and minimize access by outsiders through identification badges, electronic keys, and guards. Provide drop safes to limit the amount of cash on hand. Keep a minimal amount of cash in registers during evenings and late night hours. Equip field staff with cellular phones and hand-held alarms or noise devices, and require them to prepare a daily work plan and keep a contact person informed of their location throughout the day. Keep employer provided vehicles properly maintained. Instruct employees not to enter any location where they feel unsafe. Introduce a buddy system or provide an escort service or police assistance in potentially dangerous situations or at night. Develop policies and procedures covering visits by home health-care providers. Address the conduct of home visits, the presence of others in the home during visits, and the workers right to refuse to provide services in a clearly hazardous situation.

Employees Alternatives
There is nothing can guarantee that an employee will not become a victim of workplace violence. The following suggested steps can help reduce the odds: Learn how to recognize, avoid, or diffuse potentially violent situations by attending personal safety training programs. Alert supervisors to any concerns about safety or security and report all incidents immediately in writing. Avoid traveling alone into unfamiliar locations or situations whenever possible. Carry only minimal money and required identification into community settings.

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4. Evaluation of Alternatives
As described above that the suggested alternatives would imply a mutual responsibility between both the Employer and the Employees, I will continue with the same approach in evaluating the two categories.

Employer Alternatives Evaluation

As we described earlier in the alternatives that in most workplaces where risk factors can be identified, the risk of assault can be prevented or minimized if employers take appropriate precautions. By assessing their worksites, employers can identify methods for reducing the likelihood of incidents occurring. OSHA believes that a well written and implemented Workplace Violence Prevention Program, combined with engineering controls, administrative controls and training can reduce the incidence of workplace violence in both the private sector and Federal workplaces. This can be a separate workplace violence prevention program or can be incorporated into an injury and illness prevention program, employee handbook, or manual of standard operating procedures. It is critical to ensure that all workers know the policy and understand that all claims of workplace violence will be investigated and remedied promptly. In addition, OSHA encourages employers to develop additional methods as necessary to protect employees in high risk industries.

Employees Alternatives Evaluation

Here in the Employees part, here is the evaluation based on the recommended alternatives: By pushing the employees to attend such training, this will raise their senses towards the hazards towards the potentially violent situation. Reporting the incidents in writing would create a valuable historical database that helps in avoiding such repeated incidents in the future. Avoiding traveling into unfamiliar locations would as well dramatically reduce the possibilities of workplace violence especially in workplaces that has such remote sites to work in. Carrying minimal money would do a great help as well in reducing crime based workplace violence.

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5. Conclusion and Recommendations

After what has been presented in the above case study, it led us to the conclusion that workplace violence is a matter of sectors and social partners. Violence at work should be considered as a national policy issue. Sectors in all countries should developed tools for employers and employees to prevent workplace violence. The general conclusion is that employers should use the policy tools to prevent or minimize Workplace Violence. And here is a few recommendations: Characterizing environmental, organizational, and personal factors for workplace violence in different sectors. Analysis of injury rates, lost work time, and costs associated with workplace violence. Evaluating the effectiveness of controls such as security hardware, alarms, workplace redesign, emergency systems, training programs, written prevention programs. Testing intervention strategies for effectiveness, and Program evaluation.

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