“What Is Workplace Violence” – continued from page 21


of workplace violence there is. In addition, people define workplace violence in very narrow terms, focusing on the motives of the perpetrator. I would like to propose that we define workplace violence in a much more general manner. We have strayed away from the early guidance on workplace violence established by the Federal government.


According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), workplace violence is any physical assault, threatening behavior, or verbal abuse occurring in the workplace. The workplace may be any location, either permanent or temporary, where an employee performs any work-related duty. This includes, but is not limited to, the buildings and surrounding perimeters including parking lots, field locations, clients‘ homes, and traveling to and from work assignments.


The emphasis is on the fact that the behavior occurs in the workplace and that employees are performing work- related duties, regardless of whether the workplace is permanent or temporary.


Read m ore *The above image is from NIOSH publication: Violence on the Job, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/


How Awareness and Communication Improve Workforce Protection


Kelly Services, a global staffing provider with 560,000 employees worldwide, has a senior manager in their Global Security group who is focused on preventing workplace violence. Paul N. Whelan is working to empower Kelly Services managers, and those responsible for security concerns around the globe, to address the workforce protection needs of their employees in their domestic and foreign branch offices. Whelan says, violence in the workplace is more prevalent of an issue in the United States, but abroad, there are other issues to focus on.


In the U.S. ―The key is to understand what can lead to violence and mitigating the risk from there,‖ Whelan says. To account for the variety of risks that managers face worldwide, Kelly Services offers a teleconference class tailored to each unique audience on ―Promoting a Safe Workplace.‖ For U.S. managers, the course is targeted towards regional vice presidents and staffing supervisors, instructing them in the basics of mitigating workplace violence risks, how to partner with local law enforcement and how to discuss potential issues with employees. Overseas, it focuses on getting employees to work safely during a protest or ensuring staff (and their family‘s) safety after a natural disaster.


Whelan recommends building a workforce protection policy with a top-down approach: ―Leadership must understand then empower and support your security initiatives,‖ he says. ―When you have a senior sponsor, people stand up and take notice.‖


Read more


LEGAL NEWS Cussing Out Your Employee May Get You Sued By… OSHA??


The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court against Duane Thomas Marine Construction LLC and owner Duane Thomas for terminating an employee who reported workplace violence, in violation of Section 11(c) of the OSH


Act. OSHA asserts that an employer fired an employee for complaining about unsafe work conditions. As it turns out, the complained of hazard was the owner. The violation is the act of terminating the employee for complaining about a safety concern even if the concern is not valid. The employee alleged that, on numerous occasions, Thomas behaved abusively, made inappropriate sexual comments and advances, yelled, screamed and made


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