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Every employer needs to have a plan to prevent workplace violence. Nurses, utility workers, probation officers, mail carriers, and phone and cable TV installers are just a few of the types of workers at risk from workplace violence. No occupation is protected from the hazard. Professionals and blue-collar workers alike face this danger.

There were 94 murders in the workplace in 2006, down from more than 200 annually in the early 1990s, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Every year, more than 2 million people face some form of workplace violence.

Tragically, OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) notes that homicide is one of the biggest causes of workplace death, nationwide and in Rhode Island.

Information on preventing workplace violence is available in the form of streaming videos and downloads from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Employers should set a zero tolerance policy against violence and set up a prevention plan. Employee handbooks and manuals should include prevention information because all workers should be familiar with company policy on violence. Everyone on the job should realize that every case of violence reported will be looked into and corrected.

It is best that companies use video cameras, alarm systems and extra lighting on the job. Staff should have cell phones and hand held alarms. Access to the job should be limited with I.D. badges, guards, and electronic keys. It is a good policy to keep a drop safe so that cash on hand is limited.

People who work outside the office should file a work plan and keep employers up to date on their locations. Those employees who are uncomfortable leaving the worksite late at night should receive an escort.

Employees who work in the community or in the home are susceptible to violence. That includes visiting nurses, other healthcare workers, probation officers, and psychiatric evaluators to name a few in the social services. Mail carriers, retail workers, taxi drivers, phone and cable TV installers, and gas and water utility workers are at high risk.

Generally those who deliver, work in high crime areas, work alone in small groups, or exchange money face a hazard.

OSHA Rhode Island Worker Safety

There are no guarantees against the risk of workplace violence, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a set of steps to prevent, protect and respond. Employees should be trained to recognize, avoid, or defuse violent or potentially violent situations.

If an incident occurs, employees should report it to the police without delay and provide first aid and other medical attention as soon as possible. Employers should tell victims about their rights to take legal action against the perpetrators and should have a discussion with the staff, suggesting that they come up with ideas about preventing future episodes. Counseling or stress debriefing should be offered to everyone.

In the realm of prevention, employees should let a manager or supervisor know about any safety or security concerns. All incidents should be reported in writing and promptly, even if the incident does not seem serious. Warning signs of violent behavior before serious workplace violence include rage, verbal abuse, minor assaults, threats, and property destruction.

Employers should develop a procedure for dealing with violence in the workplace. This should be practiced the way a company practices fire drills. Every threat should be taken seriously by employers and all incidents, no matter how minor they may seem, should be investigated. The worker who punches someone in the arm this week may be the same one who shoots a coworker the following week. Employers should keep records of threats and incidents and take corrective measures.

There are steps employers should take to prevent violence to employees outside the workplace as well. Workers should be warned against traveling by themselves into locations and situations that they are not familiar with. For example, employees should not be scheduled to arrive in a new, strange city at 2 in the morning. Employees who work in the community should be cautioned against flashing jewelry or displaying expensive merchandise.

OSHA has what is called a General Duty Clause. This clause obligates all employers to provide a “safe and healthful” workplace. Taking steps to either prevent or limit the hazards of an episode of workplace violence.

On January 28, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) HR 4986 into law. This was the first major expansion of the FMLA (Family Medical and Leave Act) since its passage in 1993.

The bill went into effect immediately, which means Rhode Island military families were entitled to take FMLA beginning January 28, 2008.

As a result of this expansion, FMLA will now provide up to 26 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to relatives and spouses of National Guard and Reserve personnel who are called to active service. The law allows a spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin to take FMLA to care for military personnel who are under medical treatment, including physical or mental therapy and treatments on an outpatient basis. FMLA leave can also be taken to care for a soldier who’s on temporary disability for serious illness or injury.

Rhode Island FMLA and NDAA

According to the federal FMLA of 1990 (Family Medical and Leave Act), eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of leave for personal reasons. These reasons include caring for a newborn, a newly fostered child or a new adopted child. Caring for an ill family member (child, spouse, parent) is also covered by FMLA.

To be eligible for FMLA coverage, employers must have at least 50 workers in a 75 mile radius. Employees must have worked at least 1,250 hours for the same company for the previous 12 months. FMLA is job-protected and unpaid.

Democratic presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, if elected, would like to amend FMLA to make it paid leave.

Employers already incur costs when an employee is on FMLA leave, even though it’s unpaid. They must continue to pay their share of the worker’s benefits. They must fill the worker’s position for the duration of the leave, too. This can sometimes include hiring someone new, and training them.

FMLA also guarantees the worker a job upon return from leave. The employer usually provides the same job. If the same position isn’t available, the company must put the worker in a job comparable in benefits, wages and conditions.

Plus, productivity levels can drop after a worker returns to the job. Employees often require weeks to attain their previous performance level.

Ms. Clinton’s plan would amend the FMLA by requiring employers to provide insurance for each of its employees. This insurance would provide the pay when the worker is on FMLA leave.

California already has a law on the books to provide paid FMLA. Hawaii’s leave isn’t paid, but the state law extends the definition of family member to grandparents, in-laws and domestic partners. Several other states simply extend FMLA by providing more than 12 weeks of leave.

In addition, the NDAA allows workers to take FMLA leave for “any qualifying exigency” regarding a family member who has been called to active duty. This “exigency” can include caring for children of a deployed soldier, or to care for an ill person previously under that soldier’s care.

According to FMLA currently in place, a family member was defined as spouse, parent, or child. As a result of NDAA, FMLA has been expanded to include “next of kin”. In some cases, the “next of kin” could include in-laws, cousins, aunts and uncles, which would allow them to take unpaid leave.

The regulations, including exactly what constitutes “any qualifying exigency” are still being drawn up by the U. S. Department of Labor. Until the final regulations are published, the NDAA is not technically in effect. Once the regulations are finalized, they will be sent to the White House for approval. Upon approval, the U. S. Department of Labor will publish the results.

Until publication, the U. S. Department of Labor requires employers to “act in good faith” and grant leave to eligible workers. To manage the leave, companies can utilize FMLA procedures already in place, such as medical certification and substitution of paid leave.

Every employer needs to have a plan to prevent workplace violence. Nurses, utility workers, probation officers, mail carriers, and phone and cable TV installers are just a few of the types of workers at risk from workplace violence. No occupation is protected from the hazard. Professionals and blue-collar workers alike face this danger.

There were 94 murders in the workplace in 2006, down from more than 200 annually in the early 1990s, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Every year, more than 2 million people face some form of workplace violence.

Tragically, OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) notes that homicide is one of the biggest causes of workplace death, nationwide and in Rhode Island.

Information on preventing workplace violence is available in the form of streaming videos and downloads from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Employers should set a zero tolerance policy against violence and set up a prevention plan. Employee handbooks and manuals should include prevention information because all workers should be familiar with company policy on violence. Everyone on the job should realize that every case of violence reported will be looked into and corrected.

It is best that companies use video cameras, alarm systems and extra lighting on the job. Staff should have cell phones and hand held alarms. Access to the job should be limited with I.D. badges, guards, and electronic keys. It is a good policy to keep a drop safe so that cash on hand is limited.

People who work outside the office should file a work plan and keep employers up to date on their locations. Those employees who are uncomfortable leaving the worksite late at night should receive an escort.

Employees who work in the community or in the home are susceptible to violence. That includes visiting nurses, other healthcare workers, probation officers, and psychiatric evaluators to name a few in the social services. Mail carriers, retail workers, taxi drivers, phone and cable TV installers, and gas and water utility workers are at high risk.

Generally those who deliver, work in high crime areas, work alone in small groups, or exchange money face a hazard.

OSHA Rhode Island Worker Safety

There are no guarantees against the risk of workplace violence, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a set of steps to prevent, protect and respond. Employees should be trained to recognize, avoid, or defuse violent or potentially violent situations.

If an incident occurs, employees should report it to the police without delay and provide first aid and other medical attention as soon as possible. Employers should tell victims about their rights to take legal action against the perpetrators and should have a discussion with the staff, suggesting that they come up with ideas about preventing future episodes. Counseling or stress debriefing should be offered to everyone.

In the realm of prevention, employees should let a manager or supervisor know about any safety or security concerns. All incidents should be reported in writing and promptly, even if the incident does not seem serious. Warning signs of violent behavior before serious workplace violence include rage, verbal abuse, minor assaults, threats, and property destruction.

Employers should develop a procedure for dealing with violence in the workplace. This should be practiced the way a company practices fire drills. Every threat should be taken seriously by employers and all incidents, no matter how minor they may seem, should be investigated. The worker who punches someone in the arm this week may be the same one who shoots a coworker the following week. Employers should keep records of threats and incidents and take corrective measures.

There are steps employers should take to prevent violence to employees outside the workplace as well. Workers should be warned against traveling by themselves into locations and situations that they are not familiar with. For example, employees should not be scheduled to arrive in a new, strange city at 2 in the morning. Employees who work in the community should be cautioned against flashing jewelry or displaying expensive merchandise.

OSHA has what is called a General Duty Clause. This clause obligates all employers to provide a “safe and healthful” workplace. Taking steps to either prevent or limit the hazards of an episode of workplace violence.

Creating a Rhode Island Drug Free Workplace is important to most employers who want to battle alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as OSHA, feels employers can take steps to keep their businesses safe from drug and alcohol abuse.

The Rhode Island Drug Free Workplace Alliance highlights the importance unions, contractor organizations, and the federal government place on creating a workplace void of drug and alcohol abuse. Working together, the goal of these organizations is to protect the health and safety of employees.

To create a drug-free workplace, employers need to take five steps. Step one is to create a policy concerning drug and alcohol abuse. Step two is to train supervisors on the company’s policy. Step three is to educate employees on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace. Step four is for the employers to offer help to employees who have drug and alcohol problems. Step five is to test employees for drugs. 

Naturally, each of the five steps needs to consider the privacy rights of employees. OSHA does not require employers to establish a drug-free workplace, but doing so can improve both the health and the safety of employees.

The Rhode Island Drug Free Workplace Alliance helps businesses focus on the impact drug and alcohol abuse can have on the workplace. The US Department of Labor maintains that businesses in America suffer increases in errors, accidents, and absenteeism as a result of alcohol and drug abuse. In addition, subtle problems such employees having low morale and experiencing higher rates of illness also are a result of alcohol and drug abuse.

Moreover, alcohol and drug abuse are involved in most workplace automobile accidents.  OSHA feels that drug and alcohol related impairments at work are workplace hazards that are avoidable. Establishing a program to create a drug-free workplace can aid employers in their efforts to create a safe work environment.

A recent tragic accident involving an ATV resulted in a work-related death. The driver was operating the device, fitted by the employer with the sprayer, uphill on rough ground, spraying weeds, according to the investigating office. The front wheels left the ground and the driver stood up in an attempt to stabilize the vehicle. When that failed, she tried to jump from the ATV, but failed and was crushed.

The manufacturer’s modification – adding the herbicide sprayer – caused the accident, according to OSHA, because it destabilized the ATV. Driving uphill on rough ground contributed to the accident.
ATVs are finding their way into the workplace, sometimes with tragic and fatal results.

A Rhode Island Worker Safety alert points out that without worker training in driving the ATVs and without other safety measures like following manufacturers’ weight guidelines, more deaths and injuries may occur. The All-Terrain Vehicle is showing up in forestry, police work, construction, and farming.

With increasing use on the job, fatalities have increased. In the past 10 years, more than 100 workers have died in job-related ATV accidents.

ATV accidents are up generally. In recreational use, there was an increase from 29 to 470 in the 24-year period from 1982 to 2004. Injuries hit 136,100. There have been 800,000 accidents in the past ten years.

OSHA has some recommendations for ATV use in the workplace. It has released these in a bulletin describing the measures that should be taken to reduce the disturbing trend toward more on-the-job ATV accidents and their resultant deaths and injuries.

First and foremost, train workers in driving them. Because it is perceived as a recreational vehicle often used by children, there is an assumption that no training is needed. The opposite is true. They handle in a way that is completely different from a motorcycle or a car. Second, wear helmets. And third, stick to the manufacturer’s guidelines, particularly for weight limits.

Deaths on ATVs have increased for recreational use. Fatalities went from 29 in 1982 to 470 in 2004. In the past 10 years, there were 800,000 accidents.