American Society of Safety Engineers points to anti-violence tips

"It's alarming that 13 people a day are dying from work-related injuries," said Richard A. Pollock, the president of the American Society of Safety Engineers. "These incidents can be prevented."

Pollock issued the comments after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest occupational fatality numbers. Pollock noted the 780 deaths due to violence and directed readers to the organization's workplace violence prevention tips.

The ASSE members of its Risk Management and Insurance Practice Specialty suggest employers consider taking the following steps to prevent workplace violence:

Officers and directors -- establish a workplace violence prevention policy, and establish and maintain security policies.
Human resource managers -- examine and improve hiring practices; implement prescreening techniques; utilize background checks; encourage employees to report threats or violent behavior; establish termination policies; and provide post-termination counseling.
Safety, health, and environmental departments -- train all employees on the warning signs of aggressive or violent behavior; train management on threat assessment and de-escalation techniques; conduct a formal workplace violence risk assessment; increase security as needed; develop and communicate a contingency plan to all employees which includes crisis management and media relations; review insurance coverage and verify coverage and exclusions; and identify a defensive strategy.

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Read more at the WorkersComp Forum homepage.

October 22, 2012

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