Understanding, Preventing and Mitigating Workplace Violence

工作场所暴力威胁到雇员、客户和来访者的健康和安全. It affects all industries, regardless of size or location, 这种情况的发生可能会产生重大的财务和声誉影响.

本文介绍了有关工作场所暴力趋势、影响和预防策略的信息. 

Workplace Violence Overview

OSHA将工作场所暴力定义为任何身体暴力的行为或威胁, harassment, 发生在工作场所的恐吓或其他威胁性破坏行为. 工作场所暴力包括威胁、言语虐待、身体攻击和杀人.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health notes there are four types of workplace violence:

Type I 涉及与企业或其雇员没有合法关系的有犯罪意图的个人. The individual typically commits a crime (e.g., shoplifting or trespassing) in conjunction with the violence.

Type II involves an individual (e.g., 与企业有关系并在接受其服务期间或之后在企业中从事工作场所暴力的客户.

Type III 涉及工人对工人的暴力行为，包括员工攻击或威胁另一名员工的情况.

Type IV 指与企业雇员有私人关系但与企业本身没有关系的个人.

Workplace Violence Trends

Workplace violence is an unfortunate reality across the United States. The U.S. 美国劳工统计局(BLS)报告称，有20,050名私营企业工人 在2020年经历了非致命的工作场所暴力的创伤，需要离开工作几天. Of those victims, 22% required 31 or more days away from work, and 22% required 3 to 5 days away from work.

The BLS also reported that 392 U.S. workers were the victim of workplace homicide in 2020. Furthermore, the U.S. 美国劳工部报告称，大约27%的工作场所暴力事件与家庭暴力有关.

职场暴力是影响大量员工的严重问题. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), nearly 1 in 7 employees feel unsafe at work. Additionally, 职业安全与卫生管理局报告说，工作场所暴力是导致与工作有关的死亡的主要原因之一. 

OSHA分析了工作场所暴力数据，并确定了某些可能特别脆弱的群体. These include workers who exchange money with the public, interact with individuals who are volatile, provide care or services, or serve as delivery drivers. Workers who work alone or in small groups, in isolated locations, during late night or early morning hours, where alcohol is served, in high-crime areas, 或者在社区环境和家庭中，他们与公众有广泛接触，也可能面临更高的风险. Furthermore, health care and social service workers, public service workers, customer service agents, letter carriers, community workers, law enforcement personnel, retail workers and taxi drivers are among the most vulnerable groups.

重要的是要明白，工作场所暴力可能发生在任何环境中，任何企业都无法幸免.

The Impact of Workplace Violence

工作场所暴力对受害者、同事、证人和受害者家属都有重大影响. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 32%的员工在发生职场暴力事件后会患上创伤后应激障碍或其他创伤性障碍. Additionally, up to 20% of employees develop depressive symptoms, and a majority of employees may experience sadness, fear, disgust and anger; they may be unable to maintain a safe and secure feeling at work. 该部门还指出，多达50%的员工在发生工作场所暴力事件后会考虑辞职. 

For employers, workplace violence results in lost productivity, increased insurance costs, reputational damage, legal liability, operational downtime and regulatory penalties. OSHA found that 18,000 weekly workplace assaults resulted in 1,751,000 lost workdays annually, costing $55 million in wages. 雇主因工作场所暴力造成的直接损失在30亿至50亿美元之间, while indirect costs range between $6.4 billion and $36 billion. 人力资源管理协会报告称，职场暴力的后果可能导致生产力下降高达50%，员工流动率高达20%-40%. 工作场所暴力相关诉讼的庭外和解金额平均在50万美元左右.

预防和减少工作场所暴力和减少责任的策略

有效预防和减少工作场所暴力，减轻责任, 企业应该实施全面的暴力预防计划. 管理层的承诺和员工的参与对其成功至关重要. Aspects of the program should include:

• Rigorous applicant screening-彻底筛选求职者，确保他们遵守所有相关的雇佣法
• Continuous education—Ongoing training on violence prevention policies and safety protocols
• Comprehensive training-定期进行识别、避免和降低潜在暴力情况的培训
• Hazard assessments—Regularly scheduled assessments to identify potential hazards
• Incident reporting and recordkeeping procedures—Clear procedures for reporting incidents and maintaining records
• Zero-tolerance policy—An unequivocal policy against violence, bullying and harassment
• Weapons policy—A policy prohibiting weapons to the extent allowed by law
• Incident investigation—A requirement to investigate all reported incidents 
• Emergency response-应对紧急情况的程序，包括处理活跃枪手 threats, providing prompt medical treatment and counseling services, and reporting incidents to local authorities
• Post-incident support—Implementing best practices for supporting staff after an incident
  

雇主有法律和道德义务防止工作场所暴力. 他们应该认识到警告信号，并采取适当的纠正措施. Warning signs include excessive alcohol or drug use, behavior changes, absenteeism, depression and mood swings.

Technology can play an essential role in preventing, reducing, mitigating and reacting to workplace violence. 有许多可用的工具可用于此目的, including weapons detection systems, panic buttons and alarm systems, security cameras, access control and emergency lockdown systems, audio/video analytics, virtual reality training, digital floor planning, 并利用人工智能识别可疑行为，执行其他案件管理功能.

Conclusion

了解、预防和减少工作场所暴力对企业至关重要. 全面的安全计划不仅可以提高工作环境的安全性, 但它也可以保护公司的财务和声誉，减轻其负债. 

本风险洞察并非详尽无遗，任何讨论或意见也不应被视为法律建议. 读者应联系法律顾问或保险专业人士以获得适当的建议. © 2023 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.