July 23, 2014
In conclusion to our three-part blog The Facts about Workplace Violence, below we will focus our discussion on what can be done to reduce the incidence of occupational violence in the U.S.
Reducing and Preventing Workplace Violence in the U.S.
Researchers have suggested that the best way for employers to protect their employees and their customers from being the targets of workplace violence is to:
- Know the risk factors and try to minimize or mitigate them
- Institute “zero tolerance” policies for any act of occupational violence
- Regularly train their employees on how to identify, respond to and report any signs of workplace violence.
Some of the specific prevention strategies that have been highlighted for “high-risk” workers (like, for instance, bartenders, law enforcement officials, taxi cab drivers, etc.) include:
- Establishing specific cash handling policies
- Creating barriers that physically separate workers from customers or the public
- Installing sufficient and good lighting (particularly for nighttime workers)
- Installing surveillance devices, like security cameras, panic buttons, etc.
- Providing security officers within a workplace (Even the presence of these officers can be sufficient to deter workplace violence.)
- Establishing an open line of communication between employers, employees and customers so that workplace violence (including threats or intimidation) can be readily and comfortably reported
- Conducting ongoing training for employees when it comes to how to deal with any incident or indication of potential workplace violence.
Workers’ Rights and Employers’ Responsibilities
A discussion of how to prevent or reduce workplace violence would not be complete without highlighting workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities when it comes to safe workplaces. The facts are that, by law:
- Employees have the right to safe workplaces that are free of known dangers.
- Employers do NOT have the right to retaliate against employees who report unsafe working conditions, including those that may be related to possible occupational violence.
- Employees have the right to report employers’ violations or lack of response to workplace violence to OSHA.
Denver Workers’ Compensation Lawyer at the Bisset Law Firm
Have you been injured at work? If so, Denver Workers’ Compensation Attorney Jennifer Bissetwants you to know that she is here to aggressively advocate your rights and help you obtain the benefits you need and deserve. All of the experienced legal professionals at the Bisset Law Firm are dedicated to providing each of our clients with the highest quality legal representation, keeping each of our clients informed and in the loop at every stage of their cases and, ultimately, helping them obtain the best possible results for their cases.
Let’s Talk about Your Case – Contact Us Today
Contact Denver Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Jennifer Bisset by calling (303) 894-8900 to learn more about your rights and receive a professional evaluation of your case.
While we offer knowledgeable, superior counsel to anyone seriously injured on the job, some of our additional key strengths include our fierce negotiating skills, our extensive trial experience and our readiness to take decisive action when the denial or delay of a workers’ compensation claim is finally overruled.
