LWCC offers tips for preventing workplace violence

Dear Editor,

With nearly two million American workers the victims of workplace violence each year, Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC) is reminding employers to establish, review and enforce workplace violence prevention policies as a means of reducing risk.

Every day, an estimated 16,400 threats are made in the workplace, 723 workers are attacked and 43,800 employees are harassed. Occupations with the highest rates of occupational homicide include taxicab drivers, law enforcement officers, hotel clerks, gas station workers and security guards. According to recent studies, assaults and violent acts in the workplace accounted for 11 percent of Louisiana’s fatal work-related injuries.

Workplace violence comes with not only an emotional toll, but a financial one as well. Employers find themselves paying a huge price for lost time, lost productivity, medical costs, litigation and lost trade. A decrease in productivity and losses of up to 80 percent often occur for nearly two weeks following an incident, and some companies experience high employee turnover because the workplace no longer “feels safe.”

There are many things employers can do to make a workplace safe from violence, including such measures as the following:

• Establish strict workplace violence prevention policies.

• Provide safety education – including educating workers in positive communication and conflict resolution techniques to use with both customers and co-workers; training employees in the warning signs of aggressive or violent behavior; and instructing employees not to enter anywhere they feel unsafe.

• Secure the workplace – including providing drop safes to limit the amount of cash on hand, increasing security by improving exterior/interior lighting, installing door controls, installing alarms and security cameras around the premises and adding additional security guards.

• Equip field staff with cell phones and noise devices and make sure someone is aware of their location throughout the day.

Michael Dileo,

LWCC VP of Production