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HRD
> Policy Development >
Department
of Administrative Services
Workplace Violence Prevention Policy
Policy
Purpose
The
Department of Administrative Services is committed to providing
its employees a work environment that is safe, secure and free of
harassment, threats, intimidation and violence. DAS recognizes that
workplace violence is a growing problem that should be addressed
by all employers and therefore adopts this zero tolerance policy
for workplace violence. Consistent with this policy, threats or
acts of physical violence, including intimidation, harassment, and/or
coercion which involve or affect DAS employees or which occur on
state property will not be tolerated. Employees shall refer any
questions regarding their rights and obligations under this policy
to the DAS, Office of Employee Services (614-466-2136).
Policy
Statement
A.
Threats or Acts of Violence Defined
"Threats
or acts of violence" include conduct against persons or property
that is sufficiently severe, offensive, or intimidating to alter
the conditions of state employment, or to create a hostile, abusive,
or intimidating work environment for one or more DAS employees.
B. Definition of Workplace Violence
Prohibited workplace violence includes, but is not limited to, the
following:
-
All
threats or acts of violence occurring on state property, regardless
of the relationship between the state and the individual involved
in the incident.
-
All
threats or acts of violence not occurring on state property,
but involving someone who is acting in the capacity of a representative
of DAS.
-
All
threats or acts of violence not occurring on state property,
but involving an employee of DAS if the threats or acts of violence
affect the legitimate interests of the state.
-
Any
threats or acts of violence resulting in the conviction of an
employee or agent of DAS, or of an individual performing services
on the department's behalf on a contract or temporary basis,
under any criminal code provision relating to threats or acts
of violence that adversely affect the legitimate interests of
the state.
C.
Examples of Prohibited Conduct
Specific examples of conduct that may be considered "threats
or acts of violence" prohibited under this policy include,
but are not limited to, the following:
- Hitting
or shoving an individual.
- Threatening
to harm an individual or his/her family, friends, associates,
or their property.
- The intentional
destruction or threat of destruction of property owned, operated,
or controlled by the state.
- Making
harassing or threatening telephone calls, or sending harassing
or threatening letters or other forms of written or electronic
communications.
- Intimidating
or attempting to coerce an employee to do wrongful acts, as
defined by applicable law, administrative rule, policy, or work
rule, that would affect the business interests of the state.
- The willful,
malicious and repeated following of another person, also known
as "stalking", and making of a credible threat with
intent to place the other person in reasonable fear for his
or her safety.
- Making
a suggestion or otherwise intimating that an act to injure persons
or property is "appropriate", without regard to the
location where such suggestion or intimation occurs.
- Unauthorized
possession or inappropriate use of firearms, weapons, or any
other dangerous devices on state property.
While
some employees of DAS may be required as a condition of their
work assignment to possess firearms, weapons or other dangerous
devices, or permitted to carry them as authorized by law, it is
departmental policy that employees are to use them only in accordance
with departmental operating procedures and all applicable state
and federal laws.
D. Application of Prohibition
The
department's prohibition against threats and acts of violence applies
to all persons involved in departmental operations, including, but
not limited to, DAS personnel, contract and temporary workers, and
anyone else on state property. Violations of this policy by any
individual will be subject to legal action, as appropriate. Violation
of this policy by a DAS employee may lead to disciplinary action
up to and including termination, in accordance with the applicable
law, rule or collective bargaining agreement.
E. Warning Signs, Symptoms and Risk Factors
The following are examples of warning signs, symptoms, and risk
factors which may indicate an employee's potential for workplace
violence:
- Dropping
hints about a knowledge of firearms.
- Making
intimidating statements like: "You know what happened at
the Post Office," "I'll get even" or "You
haven't heard the last from me."
- Possessing
reading material with themes of violence, revenge and harassment.
- Keeping
records of other employees the individual believes to have violated
departmental policy.
- Physical
signs of hard breathing, reddening of complexion, menacing stare,
loudness, fast profane speech.
- Acting
out either verbally or physically.
- Disgruntled
employee or ex-employee who is excessively bitter.
- Being
a loner.
- Having
a romantic obsession with a co-worker who does not share that
interest.
- History
of interpersonal conflict.
- Intense
anger, lack of empathy.
- Domestic
problems, unstable/dysfunctional family.
- Brooding,
depressed, strange behavior, "time bomb ready to go off."
Supervisors
should be alerted to and aware of these indicators. If an employee
exhibits such behavior the employee should be monitored and such
behavior should be documented.
F. Crisis Management Responsibilities
In all situations, if violence appears to be imminent, employees
should take the precautions necessary to assure their own safety
and the safety of others.
The following are the critical telephone numbers which may be needed
to carry out the procedures outlined in this section:
| Emergency
Services - Police, Fire, Rescue |
9-911 |
| Ohio
State Highway Patrol |
614-466-2660
|
Building
Security:
|
|
|
- Rhodes
State Office Tower
|
466-7361
|
|
- Vern
Riffe Center for Government
|
644-5250
|
|
|
752-0006 or 466-3346
|
|
|
644-7538
|
|
- State
of Ohio Computer Center
|
644-3812 or 644-3813
|
DAS Office of Chief Legal Counsel
|
614-644-1773
|
DAS Office of Communications
|
614-752-9521
|
DAS
Office of Employee Services
|
614-466-2136
|
The following
procedures shall apply in the event of a crisis situation (see
also the flowchart attached to this policy):
- The primary
contact person shall be the deputy director of the affected
division of DAS. He/she has authority to assume or delegate
the duties required of this policy.
- If the
crisis situation involves an injury that requires immediate
medical attention, the employee discovering the crisis should
alert the appropriate medical professional by calling 9-911,
contact building security and then notify a supervisor. The
supervisor should contact the deputy director. The deputy director
should notify the Chief Legal Counsel and the Office of Employee
Services.
- In the
event of all other crisis situations, DAS employees should notify
their supervisor of the situation. The supervisor should contact
building security and notify the deputy director. The deputy
director should notify the Chief Legal Counsel.
- If no
supervisor is available, the employee should contact the appropriate
building security authority and notify the the deputy director.
The deputy director should notify the Chief Legal Counsel.
- Immediate
action will be taken by the deputy director to ensure the safety
of those involved in the crisis situation or affected by the
crisis.
- The deputy
director will notify the Director of DAS and the Chief Legal
Counsel of the facts of the crisis situation as soon as possible.
The deputy director will assume or assign the responsibilities
of:
- Liaison
with the law enforcement, fire, medical and other community
resources offering assistance, as necessary.
- Spokesperson
to monitor incoming calls, and document in detail everything
done in response to the crisis situation.
- All communication
with the immediate relative(s) and other employees shall be
handled by the DAS Office of Employee Services.
- All communications
with the media shall be directed to and handled by the DAS Office
of Communications.
- In the
event of threats of violence to person(s) or property by means
of firearms, fire, explosions, bombs, etc., the deputy director
shall be notified, the deputy director shall contact building
security and the State Highway Patrol. If law enforcement authorities
determine that an evacuation is necessary, personnel of the
affected area will be evacuated from the threatened area and
employees will be directed to the appropriate site.
- If a building
evacuation is necessary, it will be conducted in a safe and
orderly manner. The deputy director will insure that staff from
each evacuated facility accounts for its personnel and that
all persons are evacuated from the building. Until otherwise
directed, employees must report to and remain at the evacuation
site so that they may be accounted for. Responding emergency
service personnel will be notified of persons not accounted
for to aid in determining whether the evacuation is complete.
- Re-entry
into the building will be restricted to emergency service and/or
authorized personnel until law enforcement authorities determine
the crisis is resolved and a safe re-entry can be made.
- In the
event a person causing a crisis situation leaves the building,
responsibility for preventing that person from re-entry shall
be left to law enforcement authorities.
G.
Reporting Threats or Acts of Violence
Each employee
of DAS and every person on state property is highly encouraged to
report incidents of threats or acts of physical violence of which
he or she is aware. In cases where the reporting individual is not
a state employee, the report should be made to the Department of DAS
Office of Chief Legal Counsel, who will notify the applicable Deputy
Director and Ohio State Highway Patrol General Headquarters.
In cases where the reporting individual is a DAS
employee, the report should be made to the reporting individual's
immediate supervisor or a management level supervisory employee
if the immediate supervisor is not available. The supervisor shall
contact the DAS Office of Employee Services. An employee may also
file a report directly with the DAS Office of Employee Services.
Employee Services will notify the applicable Deputy Director and
DAS Office of Chief Legal Counsel. Any such incident shall be promptly
referred by the Deputy Director/Chief Legal Counsel to the appropriate
management level supervisor, who shall take corrective action in
accordance with the applicable law, rule or collective bargaining
agreement. Concurrently with the initiation of any investigation
leading to a proposed disciplinary action, the Department of Administrative
Services Office of Chief Legal Counsel shall report any incidents
of threats or acts of physical violence to the Ohio State Highway
Patrol General Headquarters, which shall make a follow-up report
to the DAS Office of Employee Services. (See flowchart attached
to this policy).
H. Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation
At the discretion of the deputy director for the applicable division,
an employee exhibiting warning signs, symptoms and risk factors
including, but not limited to those set forth in section F of this
policy, may be ordered to submit to a psychological evaluation to
determine the employee's fitness-for-duty. The deputy director shall
contact the DAS Office of Employee Services, which shall contact
the Division of Human Resources Office of Personnel Services and
identify the nature of the concern. Personnel Services will provide
a list of health care providers as appropriate for the situation.
The health care provider should report the results of the evaluation
to the Office of Employee Services which shall then consult with
the Deputy Director to determine the employee's fitness-for-duty
based on the evaluation. All evaluation records shall be maintained
in a confidential manner.
I. Training
DAS shall provide opportunities for employees to be trained in the
risk factors associated with workplace violence, and proper handling
of emergency situations in order to minimize the risks of violent
incidents occurring in the workplace.
J. Referral to Ohio Employee Assistance
Program
Where a supervisor
suspects that an employee has work-related and/or personal problems,
the supervisor should recommend that the employee contact the Ohio
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for counseling and support (614-644-8545
or 1-800-221-6327).
The DAS EAP Coordinator in the Office of Employee
Services should be consulted immediately in the event of a critical
incident to arrange with Ohio EAP to assist in defusing the situation.
EAP should also be consulted (within 24 hours of the incident),
for purposes of conducting a critical incident stress debriefing,
should a critical incident occur. Examples of critical incidents
include:
- hostage
or riot situations
- serious
injury or death of a coworker
- incidents
involving use of force
- resident
suicide or death
- catastrophic
accidents
- agency negative
publicity
EAP
should be consulted when developing employee and supervisor training
programs. EAP also provides the EAP Intervention Services for Organizations
in Transition which should be utilized in the event of a layoff.
K. Dissemination of Policy
All employees will be given copies of this policy. All new employees
will be given a copy of this policy as part of their orientation.
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