OSHA Field Safety and Health Management System (SHMS) Manual

CHAPTER 10. VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE

  1. Purpose

    To provide a workplace that is free from violence, harassment, intimidation, and other disruptive behavior.

  2. Scope

    This chapter applies to all OSHA employees

  3. Definitions

    1. Assault. To attack someone physically or verbally, causing bodily or emotional injury, pain, and/or distress. This might involve the use of a weapon, and includes actions such as hitting, punching, pushing, poking, or kicking.

    2. Intimidating Behavior. Threats or other conduct that in any way create a hostile environment, impair Agency operations, or frighten, alarm, or inhibit others. Verbal intimidation may include making false statements that are malicious, disparaging, derogatory, disrespectful, abusive, or rude.

    3. Threat. Any oral or written expression or gesture that could be interpreted by a reasonable person as conveying intent to cause physical harm to persons or property.

    4. Workplace Violence. An action, whether verbal, written, or physical aggression, that is intended to control, cause or is capable of causing injury to oneself or other, emotional harm, or damage to property.

  4. Responsibilities

    Employees will treat all other employees, as well as customers, with dignity and respect. Management will provide a working environment as safe as possible by having preventative measures in place and by dealing immediately with threatening or potentially violent situations. No employee will engage in threats, violent outbursts, intimidation, bullying, harassment, or other abusive or disruptive behaviors.

    1. Assistant Regional Administrator/Director for Administrative Programs (ARA - AP) or equivalent unit will:

      1. Disseminate the workplace violence policies and procedures to all employees;

      2. Provide annual training on this policy and U.S. Department of Labor workplace violence program for responsible OSHA Manager(s); and

      3. Conduct an investigation and complete a Workplace Violence Incident Report for all incidents reported. The report will be submitted to the Regional Administrator within 24 hours of completion.

    2. The responsible OSHA Manager(s) will:

      1. Contact local Federal Protective Service and U.S. Marshal representatives to develop notification procedures prior to any event occurring;

      2. Ensure that both the U.S Department of Labor "Workplace Violence Program" and this program are enforced;

      3. Not condone any violence, disruptive, aggressive, or abusive behavior exhibited or threatened by any employee;

      4. Ensure employees are trained on the program, which includes the appendix for this chapter;

      5. Assist in identifying potentially dangerous situations and participate in the development of procedures to address those situations;

      6. Take all threats seriously. Respond by utilizing proper resources from security, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), medical services, and the police if necessary;

      7. Contact the Regional Administrator and appropriate local law enforcement when incidents occur during official duty but outside the Area Office;

      8. Be aware of changes in employee behavior that may indicate the potential for workplace violence or disruption. Address these changes in discussion with employee(s);

      9. Be knowledgeable about the disciplinary actions that can be taken against employees who are disruptive in the workplace. Utilize these actions in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement; and

      10. Once aware of a workplace violence incident, conduct an investigation and initiate the Workplace Violence Incident Report (Chapter 10, Appendix A). A copy of the Report will be submitted to the ARA-AP within 24 hours of completion of the investigation.

    3. Employees will:

      1. Be familiar with the U.S Department of Labor "Workplace Violence Program" and this policy; http://labornet.dol.gov/me/worklife/dol-workplaceviolence-program.htm .

      2. Remove themselves from any threat as soon as possible;

      3. Report any threats, physical or verbal, and/or any disruptive behavior of any individual to local management;

      4. Report threats, physical or verbal, and/or any disruptive behavior regarding the responsible OSHA Manager(s) directly to the ARA-AP;

      5. Cooperate with any subsequent investigation of workplace violence incidents; and

      6. Leave the area immediately when threats or violent behavior occur while on office duty outside the duty station and contact the responsible OSHA Manager(s) who will in turn contact the Regional Administrator and appropriate local and federal law enforcement. No attempt to engage or antagonize a person threatening violence will be made.

     

APPENDIX A
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE INCIDENT REPORT

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE INCIDENT REPORT
Date of Incident:
 		 Time of Incident
 
Location of Incident:



 
Name of person reporting the incident:
 		 Telephone Number:
 
Name of responsible OSHA Manager(s) writing report:
 		 Telephone Number
 

Type of Violence:

______ Physical _______ Verbal Harassment ________ Other

Source of Violence:

_________ Violence from strangers outside the workplace

_________ Violence from customers/clients

_________ Violence from coworkers, supervisors, managers

_________ Violence from personal relations (domestic violence)

_________ Other (bomb, terrorist)
Names of Individuals Involved:






 
Detailed description of incident (describe the incident in terms of who, what, where, why and how. Were weapons/equipment involved? Reports/referrals made to police?)






 
 
NAME AND ADDRESSES OF WITNESSES:
Name:
 
Address:
 
 		 Telephone Number:
 
Name:
 
Address:
 
 		 Telephone Number:
 
Name:
 
Address:
 
 		 Telephone Number:
 
Name:
 
Address:
 
 		 Telephone Number:
 
Was the individual(s) involved in previous incidents? _____ Yes _____ No
If yes, please describe:
 
 
Was anyone injured? _____ Yes _____ No
If yes, please describe injuries and any lost time due to those injuries:
 
 
Corrective Actions Taken X  
Referral to EAP    
Counseling by the responsible OSHA Manager(s)   Date:
Disciplinary/Adverse Action (Warning, Suspension, Termination)   Date:
Training on Workplace Violence   Date:
Referral to local law enforcement   Date:
Modifications to Working Conditions   Date:
Other Corrective Actions Taken (please specify)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 		   Date:
Response to Person Reporting Incident:
 		   Date: