WHEREAS:

Over fifty AFSCME members have been killed in workplace assaults and AFSCME members who work in health care, law enforcement, corrections, juvenile detention facilities, social services, housing inspection, and many other occupations are at high risk of workplace violence; and

WHEREAS:

Homicides were the second leading cause of death in the workplace in 1994, accounting for 17% of all workplace deaths, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and

WHEREAS:

Over two million Americans are victims of physical attacks in the workplace each year. More than six million were threatened, and over sixteen million were harassed. Physical attacks were twice as likely to be from a customer, client or patient than from a co-worker or stranger; and

WHEREAS:

Homicide was the leading manner of traumatic workplace death among women in the United States from 1980 to 1989, causing 41% of all such deaths among women compared with 10% among men; and

WHEREAS:

Workplace violence is not just limited to physical assault, but can also include near misses, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment, and aside from physical injuries, violent and abusive incidents in the workplace often result in serious and disabling physical or psychological damage, including post-traumatic stress disorder; and

WHEREAS:

Most violent acts are not random, but can be predicted by recognizing common risk factors including the work environment, work practices and the victim/perpetrator profiles; and

WHEREAS:

Poor management and stressful working conditions can increase the likelihood of workplace violence by employees.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME urge employers and federal and state OSHA programs to acknowledge that workplace violence is a serious, recognizable and preventable health and safety problem and that, like other workplace health and safety issues, it is the employer's duty to provide a safe workplace and that it is OSHA's responsibility to enforce that duty; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME urge employers in health care and social service settings to comply with OSHA's "Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Service Workers" and for OSHA to cite employers who are not in compliance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That in order to prevent violent incidents, AFSCME urge employers to install safety devices in the workplace, increase staffing levels, develop training programs, institute counseling or debriefing programs for victims, establish victim compensation funds and take whatever other actions are needed to protect workers from assault; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME work with management to develop programs that will prevent violence by employees by taking measures to reduce workplace stress and by referring troubled employees to Employee Assistance Programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will oppose management efforts to identify, profile and screen out "troublesome" employees and that any policies addressing worker-on-worker violence will be developed by joint labor-management committees; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME urge OSHA to issue additional workplace violence prevention guidelines for retail and other occupations.

SUBMITTED BY:

Catherine Dunn, President and Delegate
AFSCME Local 532, Council 79
Florida