Simple safeguards to prevent workplace violence

It goes without saying that workplace violence is a serious thing. Violence at work is often sudden. It strikes fear into the heart of employees and can create severe liability for employers.

Employers can be liable for workplace violence under the following legal theories: (1) negligent hiring or retention of an employee with violent tendencies; (2) when the violence occurs within the course and scope of employment, or when the employer could reasonably have foreseen the violence; (3) an employer's failure to warn, when the employer has actual knowledge of a known danger; and (4) premises liability, as the owner of the property on which the violent act occurred.

There are, however, safeguards that employers can implement to reduce the likelihood of workplace violence. Some preventative measures include: (1) good lighting; (2) adequate security in parking and common areas; (3) limiting access to work areas; (4) alarms and surveillance cameras, where appropriate; (5) discouraging visits from former employees; (6) educating supervisors about characteristics associated with potentially violent employees; (7) training supervisors in conflict resolution; (8) Periodically surveying employee perceptions about working conditions and problems with the work environment; (9) implementing policies concerning violence and harassment that encourage reporting of incidents; (10) after investigating an incident, taking appropriate action to promptly counsel, discipline, or terminate the violent employee.

While these measures cannot eliminate the risk of workplace violence, they can go a long way in preventing it. To learn more about how to prevent workplace violence, attend the Workplace Violence Seminar, at the International Agri Center in Tulare on May 11, 2010, call (559) 622-8889 for more information.