WORKPLACE VIOLENCE TODAY


Status of Federal Workplace Violence Programs By Pat Biles, M.A.


In the last issue, I indicated that I would be presenting a paper in collaboration with Edward Stern, a fellow Alliance member. Edward is a former OSHA Supervisory Program Analyst and union steward, who retired in August, 2012.


After the recent Navy Yard killings, which I wrote about in the last issue, it became very obvious to all concerned parties, that the Federal workplace is not as secure as it should be. Edward’s paper presents a status report on the Federal government’s workplace violence programs.


The following is excerpted from his paper, The Stern Report on Workplace Violence and Anti-bullying Programs in Federal Departments, 2013.


Historical Perspective EPA Order 1400.1 A1 of 2003, “EPA’s P


olicy for Preventing Violence in the Workplace,” refers to an interagency


working group on violence in the workplace, set up by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 1994. The OPM group preceded the Interagency Security Committee, ISC, established by Executive Order 12977 of October 19, 1995, which also set up a working group on workplace violence.


In 1998, OPM issued “Dealing with workplace violence —a Guide for Agency Planners” (O e of Workforce Relations OWR-09). The OPM guide focused on physical violence. It mentioned bullying, but was weak on the issues of psychological intimidation and harassment.


In 1998, OPM wrote that it was highly advantageous to have a written workplace violence program. (See http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/worklife/reference-materials/workplaceviolence.pdf.)


In August 2013, fifteen years after the issuance of the 1998 OPM guide, the eight departments without workplace violence programs do have security at the doors. But they have not established and communicated workplace violence policies to their employees.


Even more important is that 11 departments have not communicated what constitutes psychological violence to their employees, managers, HR, and employee assistance programs. So, employees and managers do not have a policy to point to, or to guide them.


The absence of these programs means that senior leaders in security and human resources have not been required to learn and to apply recognized “best practices.”


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


The Warning Signs of Violence – continued from page 18


Aware of these activities. A person who exhibits Level 3 behaviors is dangerous. They are already committing forms of violence, or such behaviors are imminent. The continuum of violence helps us determine the seriousness of the signs of violence. Trust your instincts. If someone’s behavior makes you feel uncomfortable, there is usually a reason for it.


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