WORKPLACE VIOLENCE TODAY
OSHA’s Response To The Problem of Workplace Violence: Part Three By Patricia D. Biles, M.A.,
As I discussed in Part Two of this series, OSHA’s policy evolved from one in which workplace violence was described as not falling within OSHA’s jurisdiction to one in which OSHA issued citations to employers for failing to provide a workplace free of the hazard of workplace violence. The prevention of this hazard became a goal on the agency’s Strategic Management Plan, and OSHA carried out an extensive educational
effort to fulfill that goal. The process was a unique one, in which the impetus for OSHA’s activities evolved from the “bottom-up” as opposed to “top-down.” It was largely the result of the work of victims, victims’ advocates, and unions that OSHA moved forward to the extent that it did.
Employers, employer groups and professional associations mobilized around the issue and the continuing coverage of the issue by the press contributed to the awareness of an urgent national problem. While the early correspondence established the legal precedent for OSHA to conduct enforcement activities relative to violence in the workplace, difficulties in defining the issue and in recommending appropriate abatement measures began to surface. In response, OSHA’s National Office began to solidify the coordination of the agency’s activities. Enforcement activity was in effect within the regions but, prior to this time, no guidance had been offered.
Most policy issues related to enforcement were handled through memoranda to the field. In January 1993, a memorandum was issued to OSHA’s Regional Administrators (RAs) that transmitted the 1992 Associate Solicitor’s position paper, and requested informa- tion to be used in determining the scope of the issue and the need for further guidance.
Read more *The above image is from NIOSH publication: Violence on the Job,
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/
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