WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Safety Meeting Contents Meeting Notice Leaders Guide Employee Handout Employee Quiz Meeting Sign-In Sheet Employee Puzzle PRIOR TO THE WEEKLY MEETING: - Post the meeting notice by the timeclock - Read through the Leaders Guide and Employee Handout to familiarize yourself with the topic for the week - Make copies of the employee handout (one for each employee) - Make copies of the employee quiz (one for each employee) - Make copies of the weekly puzzle (one for each employee) AT THE SAFETY MEETING: - Pass around the meeting sign-in sheet – ensure all employees present at the meeting print and sign their names - Pass out the employee hand-out - Pass out the employee quiz - Pass out the weekly puzzle - Keep the meeting simple - Encourage discussion and questions
Transcript
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Safety Meeting Contents
Meeting Notice
Leaders Guide
Employee Handout
Employee Quiz
Meeting Sign-In Sheet
Employee Puzzle PRIOR TO THE WEEKLY MEETING: - Post the meeting notice by the timeclock - Read through the Leaders Guide and Employee Handout to familiarize yourself with the
topic for the week - Make copies of the employee handout (one for each employee) - Make copies of the employee quiz (one for each employee) - Make copies of the weekly puzzle (one for each employee) AT THE SAFETY MEETING: - Pass around the meeting sign-in sheet – ensure all employees present at the meeting print
and sign their names - Pass out the employee hand-out - Pass out the employee quiz - Pass out the weekly puzzle - Keep the meeting simple - Encourage discussion and questions
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING NOTICE
THIS WEEK, OUR SAFETY MEETING WILL COVER
VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
TIME: __________________________________________
DATE: __________________________________________
PLACE: _________________________________________
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries
Leaders Guide
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VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
EURAMAX PROCEDURE REFERENCE: None MEETING OBJECTIVE: According to studies, as many as 1 million Americans each year are the victims of nonfatal work-related assaults. Homicide is the third-leading cause of work-related death. While the highest percentage of workplace assaults are in the service, healthcare, and retail industries, incidents of violence occur in all industries regardless of race, age, or gender. MEETING PREPARATION: Review the employee handout to see if there are any other materials you wish to bring to the meeting. Use a flip chart during the discussion to write key points and employee responses. This technique visually reinforces your instruction. MATERIALS CHECKLIST:
Flip chart and marking pens MEETING INTRODUCTION Violent behavior can erupt anywhere. Violence in the workplace is a serious problem, and it covers a broad range of situations, including: robberies, assaults, attacks, fights between co-workers or “revenge attacks” by former or current employees, and assaults by strangers that are not related to any particular type of work. DISCUSSION GUIDE Question: What type of common sense should be used regarding violence in the
workplace?
Answer: Don’t leave handbags or other valuables open or unguarded. Don’t go alone into dark or isolated areas. Be alert for unfamiliar persons in areas where they don’t belong.
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries
Leaders Guide
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VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
Question: What are some potential warning signs that all employees need to be alert
about?
Answer: Take suspicious or threatening behavior seriously. Be alert to such warning signs as significant changes in mood or demeanor, extremely angry reactions to minor problems, and verbal abuse or threats. This can be a tricky area: While you don’t want to encourage involvement in others’ personal problems, you do want to make sure that signs of potential violence are not ignored until it’s too late. Urge employees with serous, well-founded concerns about the behavior of a co-worker to have a confidential discussion with a supervisor.
Question: What is the best defense against violence prevention?
Answer: Stay out of conflicts between co-workers or customers. Call the proper
authorities if the conflict appears to be increasing. Keep calm if you are verbally or physically attached. Acts of aggression
including swearing, hitting, name calling, and sexual harassment can sometimes escalate into violence.
Know how to call for help quickly. Keep emergency numbers and the workplace
address posted by every telephone. During a stressful situation, you may be too “rattled” to remember addresses and directions.
Learn techniques to avoid conflicts. Encourage co-workers to learn with you. Question: What are some signs of a potentially violent co-worker?
Answer: In any workplace, it’s a good idea to know the danger signs of a potentially
violent co-worker. This person might: Use intimidation Display a violent outburst, seemingly out of character Talk about weapons Show paranoia Exhibit desperation Have a history of violence Be a loner without a social life
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries
Leaders Guide
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VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
Being concerned about security on the job is not the sign of a coward. Alert, responsible employees who report incidents and observations can often avert workplace violence.
Question: What are some excuses why you don’t want to report an incident or potential
violence?
Answer: So why would you hesitate to report an incident or potential violence? You don’t want to get someone else in trouble. You do not trust your own judgment. What if you are wrong? You are afraid of being blamed for the incident. You are afraid of being harassed for causing trouble. You think you won’t be taken seriously. You believe violent encounters with clients, customers, patients or co-
workers are just a normal part of your job. All of these are unacceptable reasons not to report an incident or potential violence. SUMMARY: Be alert and be aware about the potential of violence at the workplace. Homicide is a leading cause of occupational-injury deaths in the United States, after motor vehicle and machine-related accidents. According to a recent study, 9,900 people died as a result of work-related injuries. An astonishing 13% were homicide victims. That translates into approximately 1,300 employees who were murdered at work. Another interesting fact from the study indicates the peak time for on-the-job homicides was from 4 p.m. to midnight. Gunshot wounds were the major cause of the homicides. The killers included customers, patients, inmates, co-workers, spouses, and robbers. EMPLOYEE HANDOUT: A. Employee Handout B. Violence in the Workplace Quiz C. Violence in the Workplace Puzzle QUIZ ANSWERS: 1. A 2. B 3. True 4. B
VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Employee Handout How This Affects You: Workplace violence can happen to anyone, even you. While certain occupations put a person at a much higher risk - driving a taxi, or working on the late shift for instance - violence can occur in any setting.
Here are some reminders about interpersonal safety at work:
Don't pick fights. Loud and aggressive arguments can easily escalate into physical fights.
Take verbal threats seriously. Do not aggravate the situation with a threatening response. Report all threats to your supervisor or the company's security department.
Report any suspicious person or vehicle to security personnel, especially at night. The suspect could be casing the place for a break-in. Or the person could be stalking an ex-spouse who works with you.
Also watch for unauthorized visitors who appear to have legitimate business at your plant. Crimes have been committed by people posing as employees, contractors and repair persons.
Observe your company's rules prohibiting drugs and alcohol at work. Many violent incidents at work can be traced to the use of these substances.
Be aware of the neighborhood in which you work and the areas you drive through on your commute. Gang activity and other violence does not always stop at the gate to your plant. Keep to well-traveled and well-lighted areas as you drive to and from work.
If you drive on the job, don't pick up hitch-hikers. The most important reason for this rule is your personal safety.
Learn how to contact help in an emergency. Speed-dialing numbers should be programmed into phones and emergency numbers should be listed at each phone.
Some workplaces also have predetermined code words so one employee can tell another about a dangerous customer or visitor without tipping off the suspect. Learn the distress signals used in your workplace.
Wear your identification badge as you are instructed. Never lend your key or entry card to anyone. Notify the security office if you have lost your keys or pass cards. Keep your entry password a secret by memorizing it instead of writing it down.
Co-operate with your employer's security program because it is there to protect both you and your job. Be alert to threats to your personal safety - from customers, co-workers, intruders and others. If you sense something is wrong, it probably is.
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Employee Quiz Answer the following questions to see what you know about violence in the workplace safety.
1. What should you do if you experience violence at work? a. Report it b. Just take it and ignore it
2. How much violence should be tolerated in the workplace?
a. Some b. None
3. If you see a security problem such as a burned out light, a broken window or an
ineffective lock, you should report it so it can be fixed. True or False
4. Reporting workplace security concerns is the sign of:
a. A wimp b. A responsible employee
5. Threats are considered violent behavior.
True or False 6. Harassment is permitted as long as someone thinks it is funny.
True or False 7. A co-worker angrily brooding over wrongs and talking about shooting someone
should be reported. True or False
8. There is nothing you can do to prevent workplace violence.
True or False
9. Workplace violence only happens in certain occupations. True or False
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Employee Quiz
10. Arguments often turn into physical fights. True or False
11. Gang activities in the neighborhood won't come through factory gates. True or False
12. It's wise to be alert to actions of both customers and co-workers. True or False
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Meeting Sign In Sheet
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WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Employee Puzzle
WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING All Euramax Subsidiaries VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Employee Puzzle
