Workplace violence has become more common, and employers need to have a plan to keep an issue from escalating into something that is deadly, according to Seyfarth Shaw employment attorney Mark Lies. During a NATE Webinar Thursday, Lies said health professionals say on any given day, one in five citizens is capable of violence.
The timing of the webinar was to get ahead of warmer weather. “The heat affects people,” said Lies. “People are drinking caffeine and energy drinks and dehydrating themselves.” That can exacerbate problems for those working on a tower, he added.
Termination of employment and domestic violence that spreads to the workplace are two big causes of violence at work. So is bullying. Employers need to have a “clear policy of zero tolerance.” The policy should require employees to report problems and the company then has to act on those, said Lies.
“It must be in the policy that you can’t bring weapons to the worksite,” said Lies in the webinar titled “Preventing and Managing Workplace Violence and Active Shooter Response.” Someone with a gun permit can leave it the car.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
April 26, 2019
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