The Security Consultant's Perspective...Putting
threat of violence and security in workplace following September 11, 2001 in perspective has a broader meaning and greater appreciation. The price of Workplace Violence has a physical, emotional and financial toll on victims, witnesses and businesses. While worst-case scenarios are not norm, incidents of assaults, homicides, threats and acts of sabotage are real in typical workplace. However, simple but equally annoying and escalating hostile conduct creates emotional contagions and spontaneous responses. When thinking of workplace violence one should consider situations and events of any type that if left uncorrected could escalate into a violent response. Service employees being harassed on their routes, nurses fearful of conducting home visits, plant employees taunting another, use of increased resources to protect threatened employees and salesmen who resign rather than do business in certain neighborhoods are all realities at work. Even though reported incidents of violence are down for 2003 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics security awareness should continue to remain high on prevention category.
Some Statistics About Workplace Violence...
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 11% (631) of 5,559 fatal occupational injuries in 2003 resulted in homicide (mostly by shootings). A March 2004, FBI Report estimated that nearly 80% of these workplace homicides are committed by criminals with no other connection to workplace, who have committed robberies or other violent crimes. In areas of Non-fatal occupational injuries, BLS reported that 18,104 such incidents in 2002 resulted from assaults and violent acts by person, representing nearly 1.3% of 1.4 million reported occupational injuries and illnesses. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, (BJS) US Department of Justice, in 2002 nearly 750,000 crimes of violence were committed each year against people at work or on duty and another 170,000 against people traveling to and from work.
In January 2004, Society of Human Resource Managers reported results of their own internal survey on workplace violence. Roughly, almost two-thirds of HR Professionals who responded reported that at least one incident of 'violence" had occurred since 200o. Most common were incidents of inappropriate language, verbal abuse or verbal threats.
In May 2004, American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) survey on workplace violence reported that 44% of 750 respondents had indicated that their place of work had been victim to incidents of violence since 1998. While threats do not harm victims, mere utterance damages perceptions of management's ability to provide for a safe workplace if no corrective action is taken.
