Preventing Injury and Illness to Service Workers in Tourism-Related Jobs – Part II: Workplace Violence

Service workers are at risk for injury and illness every day, whether they work as housekeeper, landscaper, kitchen staff or nurse, to name a few.   The best way to prevent injuries and illness is to go through a hazard analysis of your workplace which includes the building and the grounds outside of the property wherever employees may work.  This four part blogs series will cover the major areas that these types of service workers are at risk for and ways they can be prevented.

Most people do not think about workplace violence as a major health and safety hazard, but about 1.7 million workers are injured in workplace assaults every year.  Assaults and violent acts were the tenth highest cause of non-fatal occupational injuries in 2002, which makes up 1% of workplace injuries. This costs employers 400 million dollars.  Also, 18% of all violent crimes in the United States happen at the workplace.  Considering the amount of working Americans, it does not seem like a large percentage, but workplace violence can lead to devastating results.  The main reason why workplace violence is so significant, is due to the fact that it is under reported.  Most employers may not be aware of potential repercussions of not reporting an incident, and the employees may be afraid that reporting incidents will make things worse.  There are many risks associated with workplace violence but there are simple ways to prevent these from occurring.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, define workplace violence as “violent acts, including physical assaults and threats of assaults, directed toward persons at work or on duty.”  The U.S. Department of Justice defines a threat as a “statement or expression of intention to hurt, destroy, punish, etc. as in retaliation or intimidation.”

There are many different reasons why workplace violence occurs.  The most common reasons are domestic violence brought to ther workplace and incidents involving alcohol or drugs.  Workplace violence keeps occurring because it is an underestimated threat and because the society that we live in today, is one of violence.  The easiest way to prevent workplace  violence is to develop a workplace violence prevention program which is made up of procedures and employee training.  This program will enable the company to become more aware of workplace violence and allow communication between the workers.  It will provide you with knowledge of incentive and disincentive programs, and how to diffuse situations and keep them from escalating.

If you are looking for workplace violence training and prevention programs tailored to your company’s needs, contact us:
United Alliance Services Corporation at (877) 399-1698 or visit our website.

 

United Alliance Services Corp. offers the following training courses in workplace violence:

Basic Workplace Violence & Harassment Prevention Course for Employees (2-Hours)

This is an introductory course for all employees.  It outlines general rights and responsibilities that all employees need to know.  Designed for employees at all levels, this introductory course satisfies federal and state requirements for employee workplace violence and harassment prevention training. Participants will learn about current legislation, their own responsibilities, and general violence and threat assessment theory. Upon completing of this course, they will be able to
report and respond to workplace violence and harassment.

Workplace Violence & Harassment Prevention for Supervisors (6-Hours)

This course includes all of the basic content and provides additional information and resources
specifically for supervisors.  Supervisors and managers have a greater burden responsibility in dealing with workplace violence and harassment.  The Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention for Supervisor’s course provide additional support for these individuals.

The course focuses on the responsibilities of those in management or supervisory positions. It
includes all basic course content with an emphasis on the added responsibility inherent supervisory and management roles.  Additional strategies and techniques for addressing workplace violence and harassment are presented.

Workplace Violence & Harassment Prevention Program Implementation (16-Hours)

This course is targeted to individuals tasked with developing and implementing a workplace violence and harassment prevention program.  These people are often senior employees that would form part of the crisis team in a company. This course is a comprehensive course that facilitates the development and implementation of a company-wide violence and harassment prevention program.

The Implementation guide included in the course is for the in-house development and implementation of a wide-scale workplace violence and harassment prevention program. The
comprehensive guide provides background information on relevant legislation and addresses all the requirements of a complete workplace violence and harassment prevention program. 

 For more information call (877) 399-1698

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of  Sira Anamwong Free Digital Photos