Workplace Violence
by Bob Armbrister, on Nov 21, 2019 12:00:00 AM
Q: How do I decrease workplace violence incidents in the hospital where I work?
A: In my experience working within a healthcare setting, the best way to decrease workplace violence incidents is to have a workplace violence plan that is specific to your facility. This document must also be re-evaluated on a regular basis and be updated accordingly.
Developing a workplace violence plan can be daunting, but it's critical to the health and safety of your employees. The key components to include in your plan are:
- You should perform a risk assessment of the facility you work in. Ask yourself, "What are the significant safety hazards that exist?"
- Utilize data collection tools to collect specific information on each incident to determine which solutions are necessary.
- Consider implementing safety and/or security teams that can manage the information and report to the administration on a regular frequency (monthly).
- Develop a user-friendly safety reporting process that all employees are required to fill out.
- Implement and stick to a zero-tolerance policy that supports all employees and empowers them to press charges on any acts of violence.
- Provide customer service training for all employees, as well as de-escalation training for those in high-impact areas. It's also best to consider situational awareness training for employees too.
- Develop a controlled access plan for your facility and minimize the number of entrances for visitors and employees. This will allow you to better control who enters and exits your facility.
- Provide regular, hands-on, scenario-based training for your employees to teach them how to best manage workplace violence.
If you have additional questions about how to implement a workplace violence plan, please feel free to email Carrie at carrie.kotecki@complianceonegroup.com.