Now’s the Time to Audit Your Workplace for Vulnerability to Violence

April 24, 2002

By now, most employers know that every workplace is susceptible to acts of violence. Many employers have instituted zero tolerance policies to reduce the likelihood that violent conduct will occur on their premises. Such steps are a must but are not enough. A workplace violence vulnerability audit is a test you can afford to not pass, but not one you can afford to not take. Just as you see your doctor for regular checkups, so too must you assess your workplace health. As part of your zero tolerance program, you should conduct a workplace violence vulnerability audit and use the results to remedy areas of vulnerability. Ignoring your susceptibility could prove deadly.

Each workplace is as unique as the employees who work in it. Each workplace has unique areas of vulnerability for violence. Conducting a preventative audit will assist in assessing weaknesses and provide invaluable insights into how you can shore up potential areas of vulnerability. The time required for a thorough audit is minimal compared to the dangers of ignoring the hazards.

No effective audit would be complete without identifying, for instance, all prior violent behavior and assaults at your facility. Are employees required to report all incidents or threats of violence regardless of injury or severity? Do they? Do they know how? Who has access to your premises and surrounding property? Are your entrances secure? Do your employees know what to do if they observe a suspicious individual on the premises? Making these inquiries and others will measure your workplace’s history of violent behavior and the potential for future acts of violence.

Similarly, an effective audit should ask if job applicants are screened for their propensity for violence and the precursors of violent behavior. What drug, alcohol and weapons policies do you have in place? Do you conduct exit interviews? Do you maintain adequate security measures? Has your facility been inspected for “danger zones”? Do you have or need alarms, security cameras, panic buttons, emergency phones, escorts and the like? Are your supervisors trained to recognize warning signs of potentially violent situations and employees? Do you provide any awareness training for your employees? Have supervisors been instructed on how to discipline to avoid violent retaliation? Do they know how to respond during and after a critical incident? Asking these types of questions helps to assess the degree to which preventative measures are being used and identifies other strategies to further minimize risk.

These are just a few examples of the scrutiny under which you should place your facility. Any comprehensive workplace violence vulnerability audit undertaken should, at a minimum, assess the presence and scope of existing safety hazards, assess the efficacy of preventative efforts, identify the need for corrective action, and assess the level of preparedness for responding to incidents of workplace violence.

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your workplace to possible outbreaks of violence will provide valuable guidance on where you should focus your immediate attention. Doing so is the first step toward creating a safer working environment. This article highlights only a few of the inquiries you should be making—there are many, many more. In today’s environment, conducting an audit is not only a good idea, but essential to good business health. Receiving a poor grade on a workplace violence vulnerability audit today is much better than flunking days, weeks or months from now. This is one test you can’t afford to not take. The consequences in terms of potential legal liability and to employee relations of even a single serious incident of violence at your job site far outweigh any and every reason for not measuring your vulnerability, preparedness and ability to respond. A complete and thorough audit should be viewed as a high and immediate priority, if not a must. This is one aspect of your business where the old adage of better safe than sorry can’t be ignored.

For more information, please contact jlyncheski@cohenlaw.com or shardy@cohenlaw.com.