Preventing Harassment and Violence in the Workplace

Learn how to prevent workplace harassment and violence.

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Top Five Prevention Tips

Objectives

Scope

Target Audience

How Do I Use This Guide

Section I

Introduction

What is Workplace Violence?

Forms of Workplace Violence
Potential Perpetrators

Why is Workplace Violence an Important Issue?
What Factors Increase the Risk of Workplace Violence?
What Should a Workplace Violence Prevention Policy Say?

How to Write a Workplace Violence Prevention Policy

Section II

Developing a Workplace Violence Prevention Program

Conducting a Workplace Violence Hazard Assessment
Developing Preventive Measures
Reporting and Investigating Workplace Violence

Reporting Workplace Violence
Investigating Workplace Violence

Establishing an Emergency Response Plan
Providing Victim Support
Conducting Incident Follow-up
Providing Workplace Violence Training and Education
Conducting Program Review
Using Community Resources

Section III

Preventing Workplace Violence

Prevention Through Workplace Design
- Building Security
- Visitors
- Administrative Tips
- Waiting Area design
- Natural Surveillance
- Electronic Devices and Surveillance
- Workspace Layout
- Parking Lot Design
Promote Civility and Respect
- Support employee well-being
- Tips for working with the public
Recognize Warning Signs
- Signs That an Employee May Need Support
- Warning Signs of a Potentially Violent Person
- Observing Physical Warning Signs
Resolve Problem Behaviour
Prevent Harassment, Bullying, and Mobbing
- Warning Signs of Harassment, Bullying, or Mobbing
- Additional Warning Signs of a Supervisor or Manager Who May be Bullying
- Prevent Harassment, Bullying, and Mobbing
- Internet Harassment
- Prevention Tips
Ensure Personal Safety
- Prepare Ahead
- Trusting your Instincts
- Visitor Procedures (Dealing with Strangers)
- Elevator Safety
Prevention for Specific Situations and Interactions
- Robbery Prevention
- Handling Cash
- Banking Money
- Working Alone
- Working Off-site
- Working From Home
- Working Late
- Working with Young People
- Working with Patients and their Families
- Managing Workplace Change
- Maintaining Order During a Job Action
- Preparing for a Potentially Violent Meeting
- Managing Workplace Terminations
- Threats Against Employees
- Stalking Situations
- Family (Domestic) Violence
Work-Related Travel
- Walking Safety
- Driving Safety
- Rented Vehicles
- Parking Lot Safety
- Public Transit Safety
- Travel Safety
- Hotel Safety

Section IV

Responding to Workplace Violence

Dealing with a Potentially Violent Person
- Tips for Verbal Communication
- Tips for Non-Verbal Behaviour and Communication
- Tips for Problem Solving
Ending a Negative Interaction
Responding to Harassment, Bullying, or Mobbing
Responding to an Abusive Telephone Call
Responding to Internet Harassment
Making an Emergency Services Call
Responding to a Physical Attack

Responding to a Physical Fight as a Bystander

Responding to a Hostage Situation
Responding to a Robbery
Responding to a Bomb Threat
Lock-Down Procedures

During Lock-down
Administrative Tips

Emergency Evacuation Procedures

During Evacuation
Administrative Tips

Section V

Conclusions

Is your organization prepared?
Common mistakes made in addressing workplace violence

Section VI

Occupational Health and Safety Legislation

What does OH&S legislation say?
Violence Prevention Legislation

Section VII

Appendices

Sample Hazard Assessment Questionnaire
Sample Inspection Form
Sample Reporting Form
Key Sources Used to Prepare this Publication Index

Section VIII

Information Sources

General Health and Safety Questions

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)

Canadian Government Departments Responsible for Occupational Health and Safety

Canada (Federal Jurisdiction)
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon

Single book:: $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 ^*

Format:: Print | PDF

Language:: English | French

Description

Designed and written as a practical workplace training and reference tool, this 194-page pocket guide is filled with clear-language text including situation-specific safety tips, sample assessment and inspection forms, and illustrations.

Objectives

This is your guide to preventing workplace harassment and violence. Using the information in this booklet, you will be able to:

Identify risk factors specific to your workplace and type of work
Develop a prevention policy
Conduct hazard assessments
Develop a comprehensive prevention program, including procedures for reporting and investigating incidents, providing victim support, and conducting incident follow-up
Develop strategies for preventing workplace harassment and violence, such as practicing intentional workplace design, promoting civility and respect, and recognizing warning signs
Identify prevention tips for specific situations including handling cash, working alone, managing workplace change, and family (domestic) violence
Develop strategies for responding to workplace situations such as a potentially violent person, internet harassment, or robbery
Develop procedures to manage emergency situations including lock-downs and evacuations
Identify relevant legislation

Scope

This guide will assist in the development and implementation of a workplace-specific harassment and violence prevention program. It can also be used as a practical handout for participants in employee training sessions.

The guide does not address the specific needs of police officers, security guards, prison guards or others whose job it is to manage potentially violent people and situations.

Target Audience

This guide is written for anyone who wants to learn about workplace harassment and violence and its prevention. It is especially useful to individuals involved in the development and implementation of workplace harassment and violence prevention programs.

Each publication produced by CCOHS undergoes several stages of review. As part of this review, representatives from government, employers, and labour are requested to comment on draft copies of CCOHS documents for technical accuracy and readability.

Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy and completeness of the information, it is understood that CCOHS makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of such information and assumes no liability for any damages or loss suffered as a result of any inaccuracy or incompleteness therein.

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The CCOHS Difference

CCOHS publications are unique in that they are developed by subject specialists in the field, and reviewed by representatives from labour, employers and government to ensure the content and approach are unbiased and credible.