Until the 1990s, workplace violence was virtually unknown. Studies show that violence at work is steadily increasing. Fear about violence among workers has also increased. A working group at HHS looked at this issue and developed a comprehensive strategy for addressing violence at the HHS worksite. The strategy is general enough to accommodate other sites and programs.
Prevention is a key component of the strategy for addressing violence at the worksite.
Prevention efforts include the creation and distribution of a brochure for employees. Ideas on preventing workplace violence are threaded throughout the written guidelines discussed below. Another important aspect of the strategy is the development of a set of written guidelines to assist in the establishment of workplace violence initiatives and in the recognition and response to threatening situations. Both an abridged version of these written guidelines and a longer version are included in this package. To assist in the selection, establishment, and operation of these teams, a brief set of guidelines is included with this package.