Developing the Positive, Healthy & Safe Workplace

On the night of Thursday, September 9, 2010, Yvonne Hiller, armed with a .357 Magnum, walked into the Kraft food plant in Northeast Philadelphia where she worked and shot dead two coworkers and critically injured a third. Before the shooting, the victims had felt so threatened by her behavior that they complained to their supervisor who suspended Hiller and she was escorted off the premises.

The Kraft shooting is just the latest incident of workplace violence which continues to be a major problem in the nation’s workplace. According to OSHA about 2 million employees a year are victims of workplace violence. Workplace Violence Prevention is the latest “How To” book from Government Training Inc. and it presents an easy to use seven-step process for tackling workplace violence. It describes how to understand the root causes of workplace violence and the threats that they pose. These threats are not just in terms of personal attacks – whether verbal or physical – but also the cost and damage they can do in economic terms.

Once you understand the cause and types of workplace violence, you can then develop a plan to interrupt it, mitigate its effects or, ideally, eliminate it completely from the workplace. Effective workplace violence prevention (WVP) programs are essential to identify potential trouble spots and trouble makers, minimize the impact of any outbreaks and ensure all members of staff know what policies are in place to protect and safeguard them.

The book is packed with useful tips, best practices, case studies and checklists that walk you through the process from understanding the violence cycle to implementing an effective WVP program and ensuring that all management and employees are aware of it. There are practical tips on managing conflict – from bulling to domestic violence, dealing with mental health concerns and avoiding negligent hiring. There are sections on improving safety and security for workers in the field and detailed advice on what to do in the event of an outbreak of violence.

There are also sample documents that can be used to create workplace violence policies, report personnel policies and forms. If your organization already has a WVP program in place, you still need to read this book to see how the program can be improved using the many cited best practices and case studies. If your organization doesn’t have a workplace violence prevention program this book is an essential read – not just for the managers who will have to implement it but all employees who are concerned about the safety of themselves and their colleagues.