Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Assaults on Oregon Mental Health Workers Rise

In Oregon, the workers at the state-run mental health facilities for criminals are concerned about their safety. At the Oregon State Hospital, 208 injuries were recorded through October, up from 185 in 2003. The reason is mostly due from assaults from clients. One issue that is commonly raised by employees is that the patients are not charged for their crimes unless they are of the most serious felony assaults, causing severe injury. All others are handled through the hospital’s administration and not the judicial system. Additionally, while it is a crime for inmates to throw bodily fluids on corrections officers, this same behavior is not considered to be criminal if committed against a hospital worker. In 2 recent cases whereas an employee was seriously injured after being struck with a toilet seat and after a nurse was beaten by an inmate, new security measures have been put in place such as video surveillance. However, more staff, less crowding of inmates and other precautions are requested by the union of hospital workers.

Israeli Teacher Killed by Husband in Front of Students

On December 29, Sammy Gizawi was released from jail after he was arrested for the murder of his wife two weeks earlier on December 14th. He was conspiring with his brother who shot her. She was parking her car as she arrived at the school where worked as a kindergarten teacher when the assault occurred. She was shot 5 times and was rushed to the hospital where she later died. Her brother, who was also charged and still being held in detention, then fled the scene. Several children, also arriving at the school witnessed the crime. It alleged that the murder was an “honor-killing”, due to an alleged affair she was having.

Monday, December 27, 2004

Man kills co-worker in Minnesota

Douglas J. Saunders allegedly entered Fast Distributing Inc. of Mountain Lake, MN about 7:30 a.m. on December 17th and shot co-worker Howard O. Hockel with a shotgun. Hockel died on the scene while Saunders was arrested after a brief chase by authorities. Investigators are not considering the shooting a workplace crime because the two men had previous contacts with each other and that the incident stemmed from a non-work related issue.

Two Incidents- Similar Situation: Elderly Women Killed by Blow to Head

Earlier, just after Thanksgiving, we brought you two similar cases of women killed at work by their husbands. Again, we find a pair of cases that are oddly common. In two separate incidents, separated by thousands of miles, two elderly women were found dead in the small businesses that they owned. Both were killed by blunt force trauma to the head. Carrie Billeaud was killed in New Iberia, LA on December 13th at her store, Glenn Billeaud Pump and Water Well Service. There are yet to be any suspects. Mary Ann Clibbery, 69, was killed a week later on the 21st inside Al Zullo's Remodeling Specialists in Loves Park, IL. Clibbery death has been attributed to her business partner, George Hansen.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Report on Workplace Violence in Wakefield, Mass.


On December 26th, 2000, Michael McDermott, an engineer at the Edgewater Technology murdered 7 co-workers in Wakefield, Massachusetts. In response, the State’s Public Safety Department developed a range of studies and reports, one of the latest being a report developed by the Wakefield Police Department and the Northeastern University. This 2004 study of focus groups and employee surveys provided information on the prevalence of workplace violence, various perceptions of the problem and proposed solutions.
Among the finding, overtly threatening behavior was the most commonly cited form of workplace violence behavior. While robberies were noted as the most frequent type, verbal threats came in second. Females tended to be more aware of how domestic violence is a serious risk to the workplace and appeared to have more concerns about violence exhibited at work in general. Although managers and employees indicated that they experience the same rate of violence, managers were less concerned about the issue compared to their employees. This was especially true in the high-tech industries. Most of those who had experienced some form of workplace violence did not make a report because they believed that it was not important enough. In terms of police support, almost half wanted bulletins regarding local crimes, especially near their businesses and about a third wanted increased patrolling during certain times of the day.

The full report is available from the Wakefield Police Department at http://www.wakefieldpd.org/Pages/WakefieldPD_WebDocs/Articles/workplace_violence.pdf

Please contact jlee@peaceatwork.org if you have trouble opening the page. You will need Acrobatic Reader as it is a .pdf file.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

UPS Worker in Sioux City, Iowa Stabs Co-Worker

Drew S. Johnson, 18, stabbed co-worker Terry Ogden, 26 after the two men argued about the rough handling of packages at the UPS distribution center where they worked. They agreed to “settle the matter” across the street when their shift was over. The stabbing occurred around 8:45 p.m on December 9th. Ogden survived after being treated; Johnson has been charged with the assault.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Teacher Murdered by Husband at Canadian School

Nearly two thousand students were locked down at their school for several hours after an ESL teacher, Aysegul Candir, was shot by her husband in the parking lot. Police have charged her 62 year-old husband, Erhun Candir for the murder which took place December 10th in Mississuaga, Ontario.
According to friends, Candir had suffered for years of abuse and had waited till her husband had left the country on a vacation to their native Turkey before leaving him. Afterward, she was reportedly anxious that he was stalking the school where she had worked.
The husband, a flight instructor for Air Canada, was reported by witnesses to simply walk away after the shooting and drive slowly from the crime scene. He was later arrested at their home without incident.

The Benevolent Society Urges Businesses to Address Domestic Violence

The Benevolent Society of Australia has made a public announcement urging businesses to address domestic violence in the workplace. In this new campaign launched to create awareness among employers, they provide some startling statistics regarding the impact of abuse on the business economy.
From The Office for the Status of Women report released in July 2004, the total annual cost of domestic violence in Australia in 2002-03 was estimated to be $8 billion ($6,035,618,633 US Dollars). Employers paid for around 70% of the work hours lost by staff affected by domestic violence. The total cost of abuse-related absenteeism that year amounted to $280 million ($211,212,529 US Dollars). On top of that, over 250,000 working hours were lost due to staff affected by domestic violence running late for work, or leaving early - and that amounted to a cost of $5.5 million ($4,148,817 US Dollars). An extraordinary 30% of those dealing with domestic violence at home are also harassed by their controlling partners at work, equating to a further 61,000 working days lost to business - valued at $8.3 million ($6,265,387 US Dollars). Currency rates based on conversions made on 12/14/04 at xe.com.
For more information on The Benevolent Society’s effort, please visit http://www.bensoc.asn.au/donations/dv_appeal_04.html

Security Shield Drops Assault Rate on Taxi-Cab Drivers

One security implementation has demonstrated a dramatic effect on the safety of taxi-cab drivers in Baltimore. Apparently due to a mandatory shield regulation which went into effect in August of 1996, the number of assaults and robberies against drivers went down 62% from the first six months of 1997 compared to the same time the previous year. The most astounding finding is that sedan services, that were not required to place a shield between the passenger and driver sections, had a leap of a 1100% increase in the number of crimes during the same time period. During the 1997, there were two murders of taxi-cab drivers however one of which occurred while the shield was in the down, retracted position.
These statistics were just released by Baltimore Police Department and clearly demonstrate the benefit of simple technology to preserve the safety of taxi-cab drivers, the most dangerous profession in the nation.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

NC Supreme Court case on whether an employee can be fired for being a victim

A landmark case was tried on December 7th in the North Carolina Supreme Court as to whether employers can fire a victim of domestic violence simply because of their status as victims. James Edwards Imes was a bus driver with the city of Asheville when he was fired after his wife had shot him in the stomach in 2001. Though Imes passed away earlier this year due to an unrelated illness, the issue is still a vital concern to many employment rights and victim advocates. 29 agencies and organizations from across the state and nation signed onto an amicus brief in support of the case.
The heart of the issue is the “at- will” doctrine that allows employers to hire and fire at their discretion. Aside from discrimination issues, this flexibility is argued to be the right of employers to run their business according to their judgement. However, the plaintiff and the supporting groups argue that it is contrary to the recent efforts made by the State to offer support and protection to victims at work and thereby a violation of public policy.
Decision is pending with a result expected in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

North Carolina man displays firearm at former workplace

Israel Yarbrough, 39, of Rocky Mount, allegedly came through a back door into the Newbold Corperation factory where he was fired from the day before. It is just before 7:45 p.m. on December 7th when he brandished a long arm, rifle or shotgun, from under his coat. About a dozen employees fled with no one being injured. When authorities arrived, he had already fled. He was later arrested at the home of a relative.

South African woman killed at work by husband

Tragically similar to the murder-suicide in Chapel Hill NC, a Pretoria woman named Dikeledi Onica Nkatingi, was murdered by her husband, Vicki. At almost the same time, 7:30 am on Novermber 29th, she went to her car with the assailant to retrieve some personal items of his when he shot her three times with a 9 mm handgun, once in the hand and twice in the chest. Just as the North Carolina case, the assault occurred in the parking lot of the place where she worked as a receptionist for an arms manufacturing plant. The husband, a security guard, fled the scene in her vehicle but turned himself in to the authorities soon thereafter.
She too had obtained a restraining order which proved to be useless. Allegations that Nkatingi had help from police friends, releasing him from jail, threatening the victim's family and offering him a firearm, are being investigated. The police officer suspected of providing this support is currently being sought by authorities.

Local UK government asked employers to support domestic violence victims at work

The Devon and Cornwall Criminal Justice Board in the United Kingdom has written letters to 150 largest employers this week encouraging them to develop a domestic violence policy. As domestic abuse is recognized as a primary source of the total crime and violence statistics in their communities, companies are asked to pledge support for their employees who may be victims of domestic violence and to introduce protection measures in the workplace.

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Australia tallies the cost of Domestic Violence to businesses

On November 29th, the Victorian Government in Australia released a report on the economic impact of domestic violence to businesses. An average annual of $1.5 billion (estimated at $1,136,625,000 in US dollars) is lost due to productivity, absenteeism and indirect costs. The abuse makes its impact on job performance including poor concentration, depression, stress and anxiety. An estimated $1 billion was lost to business and corporations through their tax share of services needed to deal with family violence, including hospital admissions, counseling and support services.

Chapel Hill, NC Woman killed outside of her office

Shennel McKendall was murdered as she returned to work from a long Thanksgiving weekend. On November 29th, as she walked with co-workers to the entrance of her building at the UNC Hospital administrative offices, she was confronted by her husband, Randy McKendall. He used a handgun to shoot her and then he killed himself. The incident was even more tragic as the victim had tried to seek protection by obtaining a restraining order earlier in the month. In this short period of time, he violated that order twice and attempted suicide by drug overdose. Despite these clear warning signals of lethality, he was released on bail, obtained a weapon he denied owning and committed the atrocity.
This incident occured just a few hundred yards from the Friday Center where a landmark conference on domestic violence in the workplace occured a little more than a year ago.

Woman murdered by man she tried to divorce

In Australia, a 61 year old woman, Carol Schaer, was killed in the department store where she had worked since 1997. On the morning of November 17th, her husband, Simon Schear, 69, shot her multiple times and she later died after being rushed to the hospital.
The murder occurred the day after the divorce papers were delivered to him, four days earlier than when she had anticipated. She had planned to take work off and not be in town the day she expected her former husband to be served the papers. She was to go on a short vacation with her new partner whom she had lived with for the past 6 years and whom she had planned to marry this January. It is unknown why the divorce papers were served earlier than anticipated.
Schaer was charged with murder and will face trial early next year. Just hours prior to the shooting, he had left his two rottweilers in the care of a former student, telling her that he was going on holidays.

Wal-Mart repeatedly evacuted due to bomb threats by ex-employee

A former Wal-Mart employee made two bomb threats to a store in Marysville, Washington the week before Thanksgiving.
Wesley Gene Dorris, 29, was arrested at his new place of employment after the phone calls were traced. During the same time period, another call was placed by a 15-year-old boy who made similar threats against the same store.
While no bombs were ever found, managers estimated the loss of about $500,000 in retail sales as the store was evacuated and closed for several hours.
During the investigation, Dorris stated that he made the fake bomb threats as he believed that he was unjustly fired.

Random assault on Florida Radio Shack kills two people

On the evening of November 18th, Justin Cudar entered the electronics store and opened fire, using a 9mm Glock that he had purchased just weeks before. Both a customer and a store clerk died at the retail shop located in St. Petersburg and another employee was critically wounded. Cudar, 25, a psychology major at the University of South Florida, had no apparent relationship with anyone at the store nor was he trying to commit a robbery. Cudar was being investigated for a road-rage incident that occurred earlier in the day. He allegedly threw a steering-wheel lock at another vehicle, smashing the windshield. His mother was quoted as stating that he had anger management issues. This is a unique case of workplace violence that only fits in the Type 1 category. However, the motive was robbery or sexual assault as is the case with most incidents of this class.

Friday, November 19, 2004

New law allowing employee guns in parking lot blocked

The Whirlpool Corporation in Tulsa, Oklahoma sued to block a new law that would have allowed employees to keep a firearm in their cars in the company parking lot. The law would have taken effect November 1st but a federal judge blocked it.
Whirlpool believes that its workplace violence policy on banning firearms even in the parking lot overrides the rights of gun owners. Along with local law enforcement, they believe that this measure is crucial to help ensure worker safety. It is argued that having a firearm would so accessible would increase the chances for a workplace violence incident to occur.
The gun rights advocates state that the employee have the right to protect themselves on the way to and back from their jobs. The law gained its impetus after 12 employees in Oklahoma (not known if they were Whirlpool employees) were fired for keeping a firearm in their car at work. Only Kentucky has a similar law in the US.

New Canadian Law against Workplace Bullying

A new legislative change to the Quebec's Labour Standards Act, dedicated to workplace violence and psychological harassment prevention, took effect June 1. As businesses realize the impact of bullying and abuse in the workplace on their bottom line, human resources personnel are exploring ways to address this issue.
Often, bullying is targeted at the most efficient employees, thereby having a direct effect on the bottom line. The financial impact to an employer can be felt in increased health care costs due to the stress of experiencing the abuse, absenteeism and high turn-over.
And there is the possible litigation, as demonstrated in the recent Kavanagh case. The Newfoundland Association of Public and Private Employees successfully sued the province for failing to prevent a campaign of harassment against an employee. The result was $875,000 in damages.
The programs and training that will address bullying and harassment is currently being explored and developed by managers in the province.

Two city officials fired for fighting in Penn.

Two hi-ranking city officials in Bethlehem, Penn., were fired for violating the workplace violence policy. Deputy Community Development Director Dana Grubb and Environmental Health Manager Harvey Joseph engaged in a fist fight on November 4th where Grubb suffered a broken nose and scratches on his neck.
There was some controversy as to how the fight started or who was responsible but due to the status of their positions and the level of attention that it received, both were terminated by the Mayor. Combined, both had worked for the city for about 57 years. Fellow employees say tensions between the two employees have existed for some time.

DV Victim wins FMLA case in Alaska

A police officer from Anchorage won in the November 12th Alaska Supreme Court ruling that stated that she was eligible for the Family and Medical Leave Act and had put her department on notice when she had stated that she needed time off to "get her life back together" due to the domestic abuse that she experienced along with other complications. (Anchorage v. Gregg, Alaska, No. S-10722, 11/12/04).
Despite not requesting for the leave specifically nor providing medical documentation at the time, the court ruled that the city employer violated her right to FMLA as her supervisors knew of the abuse and that she had requested time to recuperated. The diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, along with issues stemming from a previous car accident and pregnancy, all qualified her for the benefit.
"When an employee is actually incapacitated by illness, the failure to get a correct diagnosis cannot disqualify an employee from the Act's protection," Justice Alexander O. Bryner wrote for the unanimous court. "To hold that a doctor must agree, contemporaneously and at all times, that the employee is unable to work, places a burden on the employee that we find nowhere in the plain text of the Act, and ignores the reality of debilitating illness."

Thanks to Robin Runge of the Domestic Violence Commission of the American Bar Association for this information.

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Domestic Violence Murder-Suicide at Palm Springs store

Irma Felix, 44, of Cathedral City was the owner of pet grooming business in Palm Springs where her former boyfriend, Oscar Hernandez, 42, assaulted and killed her on November 9th. Just as the store opened, he stormed and confronted her. A 911 tape caught the argument as an emergency call was made at the time. As officers arrived on the scene, they heard 3 gunshots and broke through the window to find both of them dead.
In July 2003, Felix filed for a TRO against Hernandez for trying to choke her. Despite the protective order he continued to harass, stalk and threaten her, even calling to say what clothes she was currently wearing. She had made frequent police reports and had him arrested in previous incidents.

Lawsuit against Harvard for workplace assault dismissed

A Middlesex County Superior Court judge dismissed an employee’s lawsuit against Harvard University. Beth A. Isabelle, a librarian, was assaulted on September 18, 2001 but did not file the lawsuit until three years after the event took place, a day before the three-year statue of limitations expired. Isabelle reports continued problems such as neck pain and headaches that renders her unable to even fold laundry. Her claim is that the University did not tell her that she was required to file an accident report, failed to provide ergonomic accommodations, and led her astray about her rights and responsibilities under workers’ compensation rules. The employee was awarded an $11,000 settlement in September 2002 but is appealing the decision to seek further damages. The University’s motion to dismiss the suit argues that Worker’s Compensation Act is the sole source of remedy for claims such as this and cannot be pursued through civil suits.

Fired employee stabs manager to death

On November 4th, the manager of a NY café was stabbed to death by a delivery person who was just fired. While the manager was know for being generous and flexible, the assailant became enraged when he was told he was being let go in the back of the restaurant. The 26 year old manager staggered to the tables area that was filled with customers with the knife still sticking out of his chest. The assailant fled and evaded capture.

Mental health patient assaults care-takers.

The Auckland-based Framework Trust in New Zealand provides mental health services for mentally and intellectually disabled people as well the dangerous. A young man who is patient struck a staff member in the head without warning on October 4th while they were out in public. The worker was not responsible for watching the client but was standing close by. The staff member was hospitalized with serious head injuries and concussion. The same client had struck another employee in the head with a cricket ball which then required stitches. Workers and family members are concerned about the safety and security of their positions. The government's Occupational Safety and Health department is holding an investigation.

Friend of fired employee takes plant captive

In a hostage situation that took place in Clayton, NC on Election Day, a friend of recently terminated employee came to the Caterpillar factory to demand answers. Pam Arizona, 55, entered the lobby armed with a shotgun and what appeared to be explosives (later determined to be fake), taking O’neil Simmons and two security guards hostage. Simmons had a TRO and criminal sexual assault charges place against him by the recently terminated employee, Arizona’s friend. The two co-workers had different shifts and so he was able to follow the stipulations of the order. The fired employee arrived at the scene and working with the hostage/negotiations team, convinced Arizona to free the captives unharmed and turn herself in.

Monday, November 08, 2004

Two new recent incidents

The result of two supervisors having an argument ended with one of them shooting and killing the other. Nathaniel Brittain used a Glock 9mm to murder fellow supervisor Christopher McDuffie at the Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., a poutry processing plant in Athens, GE on November 2nd. McDuffie died after being shot multiple times early in the morning. The two had apparently not worked well together and had a history of conflict. Employees who witnessed the shooting flagged down a passing law enforcement officer who took Brittain into custody without incident.

On November 3rd, 47-year old man was just leaving his job walking across the company parking lot when he was assaulted by 26 year- old Antwan Langhorne. Langhorne shot the victim twice in the leg and then fled. This occurred at the Fleet Pride Trucking Company in North Haven, Conn. Employees state that the victim knew the shooter and that there were problems before the assault. Langhorne is an ex-boyfriend of the victim’s daughter who is currently under police protection. Police are currently searching for Langhorne.

Monday, November 01, 2004

Suicide bomber tries to burn down children's center

A former manager a youth home rammed his explosives laden truck into a children center's administrative office on October 24th. Jim Malone had recently quit his job running a home for the Children's Aid Society due to frustrations about funding and staff level cuts.
After lighting two propane tanks in this truck, he rammed it through the glass door of the social services agency in Ontario, Canada early in the morning. None of the few workers inside were injured and there were no children there at the time. It is thought by some of those interviewed that he did not intend for anyone to be hurt except for himself. He was badly burned and stabbed himself after falling out the truck. The estimated cost of the incident is up to 1.5 million dollars with most of the damage caused from water damage from the sprinkler system.

Jobs counselor killed at FLA community college by husband

A man who murdered his wife in Florida was captured in Virginia the next day. Samuel White walked onto the campus of the Santa Fe Community College on the morning of October 27th where his estranged wife, Derother Denise White, worked as a counselor. He came up behind her with a knife and attacked, despite two co-workers trying to stop him. After fatally stabbing her, he fled in a car.
The murder took place the day before a scheduled dependency hearing for the four children that the couple shared. The victim tried to ensure the safety of herself and her children from the man who had twice been convicted of assaulting her, including getting a restraining order which he later violated. White was later arrested in Virginia when a store clerk called the police as he and his companions were acting suspicions.
Derother White worked at the job counselor helping disadvantaged youth stay in school, obtain employment skills and find meaningful jobs. White is charged with murder.

FBI Prevent likely Workplace Violence Massacre

A man was stopped before he could carry out his alleged plans to commit
catastrophic assault against his former workplace in Arizona. David Dugan
reportedly told a family member that he intended to sneak into the
basement of the Intel factory, turn on the gas and shoot up the pipes and
machinery, all while his former co-workers and supervisors were upstairs.

He had recently been terminated after a two year disability claims
dispute with the microprocessor factory. The family member notified
authorities as he was clearly capable of such action. He reportedly was suffering
from bi-polar disorder and had recently attempted suicide. On October 6th,
authorities had taken a large amount of ammunition from him although he
refused to surrender his weapons. However on October 20th, he obtained
an AK-47, 1,000 rounds of ammunition and 5 magazine clips. He then called
to tell a former co-worker of his new purchases. He had since been arrested by the FBI.

He is charged with the federal crime charges and is being held pending
grand jury hearing.

News report from The Arizona Republic

Sunday, October 24, 2004

Shooting at manufacturing plant

A man returned to the place of his former employment with a shotgun looking for the supervisor who had fired him a year ago. But on October 21st at the Beltservice Corp. in Earth City, MO, it was another worker who was wounded. Pelayo Errasti entered the conveyor belt manufacturing plant around 3:00 pm and shot numerous rounds, destroying computers and going back out to the parking lot to reload. At one point, he spotted his former boss from far off but missed when firing at him. A 61 year old man was running out of an office when he was superficially hit in the hip. According to court records, Errasti apologised for wounding the man, stating that he intended to shoot someone else. About 110 employees were evacuated from the building while emergency law enforcement squads cornered him in a storage area. After a seven hour stand-off and negotiations made through the phone, the gun man surrendered himself to authorities. He was charged with armed criminal action and assault and is being held without bail.

Thursday, October 21, 2004

NIJ Report on the role of economics in DV incidents

A new NIJ report-
This, to me, speaks of the vital role of employment in preventing DV. It does indicate that DV occures more in impoverished families but this may reflect the issue that victims in higher income homes do not seek out services or make reports.

When Violence Hits Home: How Economics and Neighborhood Play a Role

Does intimate partner violence occur more in disadvantaged neighborhoods? For women, having financial problems in their intimate relationships and living in an economically distressed neighborhood combine to create greater risk of injury and violence. This NIJ Research in Brief (NCJ 205004) discusses who is most at risk and details the role that economic policies and employment practices might play in reducing the risk of intimate violence.

Full report at

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/205004.htm

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Violent employee had killed other co-worker before

Christopher Yong, 39, was charged with aggravated assault, dangerous driving, failing to remain at the scene of an accident and breach of probation after he hit his supervisor with a work van and then sped away. The September 17th assault occurred at a document shredding company in Mississauga, Canada after the victim/supervisor told Yong to retrieve some paper work and the employee became enraged.
The violation of probation was for a 2002 workplace violence incident in which Yong fatally stabbed an employee that he was supervising at another business. He was charged with second degree murder but only served 18 months after receiving a manslaughter conviction. As this occurred in the same town as the last incident, it is likely that his current employers knew of the previous homicide.
Perhaps the question is not whether background checks should be done but what do you do when you are aware of previous, criminally violent behavior. Comments?

Friday, October 15, 2004

Free Conference on Workplace Violence

On November 15 - 17, 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Liz Claiborne, State Farm Insurance Companies, Verizon Wireless, ASIS, AAOHN, IPRC, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence will be hosting a landmark conference on Workplace Violence.

It will be a truly comprehensive program with a focus on the four types of workplace violence: stranger violence (robbery, stranger assualt); intimate partner violence in the workplace; co-worker and employee issues and finally, hostile customer and clients.

Registration is free!
Registration, accomodations, an agenda and more information can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/conferences/work-violence/.
Register now as applications will taken only till the end of October.

See you all there!!!

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

A Primary Prevention study opportunity

A wonderful opportunity has is available for employers to look at how men's health programs and IPV prevention. Special thanks to Kim Wells of Corperate Alliance to End Partner Violence (www.caepv.org) for the information.

Please see below!

FREE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYERS

From Dr. Emily Rothman:
I am an assistant professor at Boston University currently funded by the CDC to study domestic violence prevention in the workplace. I am currently seeking an employer with an interest in being on the forefront of developing a strategy for preventing the perpetration of domestic violence by addressing the wellbeing and health needs of men in the workplace. Involvement would not require funding from the employer. No invasive survey procedures will be used. Employer will benefit by receiving 'free' analysis of how to encourage men to participate in workplace wellness programming at your specific company, and if desired, positive publicity for participating in a cutting edge violence prevention effort. Please contact me to discuss this further if you are interested.

I can be reached at: EmFaith@aol.com or (617) 414-1385. Thank you.

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Primary Prevention of IPV in the Workplace thoughts

It is difficult to re-cap all the great conversations that I have had with so many people but I will try to be succinct.

My basic question is what would primary prevention of IPV in the workplace look like? If I was to approach an HR manager or business owner, what would I be asking for them to allow me to do and/or what would I be asking them to do?

Some initial thoughts. Are deterrents prevention? Meaning, if you have policies that state abusers will be held accountable for their actions, on-site or at home, is this primary prevention? Some may argue that it may stop the behavior from occurring (or at least the physical abuse) but it does not provide a positive model or alternative to the abuse. It simply states, “don’t do this or else”. I would like to make the argument that the issue of sexual harassment policies has made tremendous strides in changing the behavior of people at work. It is deterrent based (disciplinary action/civil suits) but it has laid the foundation for how people treat each other, even outside of the workplace. Any thoughts?

Certainly, a better model would provide an example of how to behave and inter-act with others. Some workplace violence prevention initiatives focus on conflict resolution and mediation. I feel that this does not apply to IPV as the issues of Power and Control are not addressed. A victim cannot mediate with a batterer when they start to become abusive. And we have to focus on stopping the behavior in the first place.

I am excited about the idea of looking at Bullying and its recent attention as a workplace issue. The same dynamics of power and control exist and the emphasis of respect and equality are emphasized as an alternative to the behavior. Training and awareness programs can focus on recognizing the controlling behavior (from others and within ourselves) and establishing an appropriate response/alternative. This may get the attention of managers and business owners as it is an emerging issue in the workplace. The lessons of dealing with bullying can be transferred to Intimate-Partner relationships. Providing a workshop or program on this topic may provide the avenue or entrance to go into the business.

This raises the subject of actually how to enter the business. I mean, whom do you call/get transferred to at the initial contact? Often, in mid-sized to large companies, the CEO is not accessible. When we are not talking about an existing violence issue, which often falls into the security realm, it is the Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are often ‘handle’ these concerns. However, as they are mental health providers, it again is a function of response, of dealing with an issue once it is discovered. My question would be what sort of prevention programming do they offer? Any which way, when approaching a business or company that has an in-house EAP, they would be a good initial contact. For EAP providers that serve a host of client companies, maybe contacting them first would be a prudent step.

However, in a few workplace settings, prevention is the focus of the Wellness program, if they have one. These programs often focus on physical health issues such as heart condition and obesity but there may be alliances made to introduce the idea of having safe and respectful relationships as a primary factor in a worker’s health and well-being. Again, this may be the department or person to initially start having conversations with in order access the workplace.

Alright, enough for now. Please let me know your ideas by posting comments. Any knowledge of programs that currently exist would be gladly welcomed.

Peace to you and yours.

Primary Prevention of Intimate-Partner Violence (IPV) in the Workplace Overview

The focus of this initial post is to lay the foundation for a discussion on the development and implementation of IPV primary prevention programs in the workplace.

Stemming from my conversations with various people involved in the Center of Disease Control’s DELTA project and their efforts to develop primary prevention programs in the workplace, I hope that this blog serves as a public forum to share ideas and resources. Though we have listservs and conference calls, this blog has the advantage of offering an easily accessible record of the information shared.

First, let us establish some language. For those that are not in the DELTA program and may not be familiar with the public health model of primary prevention, I wish to reference a colleague in an article that he wrote.

Donald L. Gault, the Healthy Communities Section Manager of the Saint Paul –Ramsey County Department of Public Health in Minnesota, heads off the pioneering initiative called the Workplace Action Team (WAT), one of the eight original Initiative Action Teams formed in 1990.
http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/PH/hi/viol_free_initiative.asp#Workplace

In the article titled, “Creating Respectful, Violence-Free, Productive Workplaces: A Comprehensive Approach”, he provides a short but clear description of the 3 levels of prevention and how primary prevention differs from many of the efforts currently being made.

“In Public Health there is a differentiation between Three Levels of Prevention: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. In Primary Prevention, no group nor individual is designated “high risk”; instead, approaches are designed to bring a message or skill set to an entire population in order to prevent those individuals from ever beginning a risky behavior or practice. In Secondary Prevention, prevention messages and tools are targeted to individuals and groups who are already engaged in potentially damaging behaviors, but are not yet showing any ill effects as a result. In Tertiary Prevention, or Intervention, strategies are geared toward people who are both engaged in risky behaviors and who are in need of treatment to address ill effects caused by these behaviors.”

So in short, many of the initiatives that Peace at Work and other programs offer focus more on secondary or tertiary prevention. Things such as developing domestic violence policies, implementing support and security measures and even promoting awareness by placing posters and brochures are not primary prevention. The violence is already there and these efforts are a response. This, however, is not say that the secondary or tertiary prevention efforts are not needed or have value. The question is how to stop IPV in the first place, using the workplace as a site or arena to access the community at large.

So what would primary prevention of IPV in the workplace look like?

If you have comments on my description of primary prevention, please post your comments here. My next post will focus more on what those programs may look like (and what they don’t).

Welcome

Greetings,

I have created this Blog to provide a vehicle for business professionals, security consultants, academic researchers and victims advocates who desire to enhance the understanding of workplace violence and how it impacts our community.

Please help me maintain a professional dialogue by sharing thoughts, engage in thoughtful discussion and provide resources and links to programs and reports that will develop our ability, knowledge and skills to maintain safe and healthy workplaces.

The posts will be starting points for discussion so feel free to comment. I only ask that we respect each other and provide reference to any studies or reports to the orginal author(s).

Thank you very much.