Violence Prevention and Personal Safety for Lone Workers and Remote Employees

For Lone Workers and Remote Employees
Violence Prevention and Personal Safety
November 2016

2
Agenda
+ Introduction and housekeeping
+ Lone worker hazard and vulnerability assessments
+ Risk reduction strategies and techniques
+ Street smarts and “getting of the X”
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Housekeeping
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Introduction – Our Presenter
Steven M. Crimando
Principal, Behavioral Science Applications

5Copyright © 2011-16.. Behavioral Science Applications. All Rights Reserved.
Strategies & Techniques
for Violence Prevention
For Lone Workers and Remote Employees

Copyright © 2011-16.. Behavioral Science Applications. All Rights Reserved. 6
Program Sections
Two: For Employers
O What are an employer’s legal
duties?
O Risk assessment
O Policy
O Training
O Supervision
O Support
Three: For Employees
O Employee responsibilities
O Risk factors
O High-level violence
prevention strategies
One: For Everyone
O Who are Lone Workers?
O What is Workplace Violence?

Section One
Information for Everyone

Reduce the risk of violence to lone workers,
remote workers, and mobile workers.
Goal

Our Perspective
O Safety and security are
shared obligations
between the employer
and employee. Everyone
must do their part.
O Whether onsite or off, no
one should ever be a
passive observer to their
own safety.
Complacency and perceptual
bias can be the greatest
threats to worker safety.

Please Note
O The terms “lone worker,” “remote worker” and “mobile worker”
will be used interchangeably in this program.
O There are many sectors, and many types of jobs that use lone
workers.
O It will be necessary to make industry- and job-specific
adjustments to these concepts.
O Consult with the guidelines, regulations and best practices in
your sector or industry.

O This program does not
presume to anticipate
every potential hazard or
threat encountered on the
job.
O Our focus will be primarily
on the risk of workplace
violence.
O It will provide a foundation
that you can build on and
customize specific to your
risks and resources.
Also Note

Program Content
We will address:
O Lone workers
O Remote workers
O Mobile workers
Will not address:
O Working from home
O Business travel
O Ex-patriate employees
or working-abroad
We will not discuss:
O Self defense
O Car Jacking
O Kidnapping
O Vehicle and driver safety

Operating Assumptions
O Regardless if employees typically work
unsupervised or just occasionally going to off-site
meetings, businesses need to understand their
responsibilities to educate their lone workers about
their risks, procedures to reduce the possibility of
workplace violence, and how to best respond.
O Lone workers must be competent to deal with crisis
situations as they arise.

Who Are Lone Workers?
O Lone workers are those who work by themselves
without close or direct supervision.
O They work in many different occupations and
settings ranging from urban to wilderness.
O They can work alone in fixed locations with only one
person on premises, or be mobile and always on the
move.

O Lone workers often work onsite, but outside of normal
business hours. This can include security guards,
housekeeping/janitors, facility maintenance or repair,
or delivery workers.
O They also work off-site, away from fixed locations in
jobs in sales, construction, real estate, home
healthcare, community social work, and in other roles.
O Lone workers are especially vulnerable to workplace
violence.
O Employers of people who work alone, are
geographically isolated, or have the potential to be
alone when working late or travelling on the job, must
take reasonable steps to minimize associated risks.
Who Are Lone Workers?

What is Workplace Violence?
Copyright © 2011-14. Behavioral Science Applications. All Rights Reserved.
16

Type I: Criminal Intent
O Perpetrator has no legitimate
relationship with the targeted
establishment.
O Primary motive: theft.
O Deadly weapon used,
increases the risk of fatal
injury.
O Workers who exchange cash, work late hours, or work alone
at greatest risk.
O Robbery, shoplifting and trespassing incidents can turn
violent.
O 85% of all workplace homicides are Type I.

O Perpetrator is a customer or
client of worker or employer.
O Violence occurs in conjunction
with worker’s normal duties.
O Some jobs have an increased
level of risk.
Type II: Customer/Client
O Healthcare and social service
workers are almost four times
more likely to be injured as a
result of violence in the
workplace than the average
private sector employee.
-Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013

O Perpetrator is a current or former
employee.
O Motivating factor is often
interpersonal or work-related
conflicts, losses or traumas, and
may involve a sense of injustice or
unfairness.
O Managers and Supervisors are at
greatest risk of being victimized.
O Type III violence accounts for
about 7% of all workplace
homicides.
Type III: Worker-to-Worker

O Domestic violence/Intimate partner violence in the
workplace.
O Perpetrators are not employees or former employees.
O Women more often targets; men more often perpetrators.
O Risk of violence increases when one party attempts to
separate from the other.
Type IV: Domestic Violence

O Violence directed at an
organization, its people, and/or
property for ideological, religious
or political reasons.
O Violence perpetrated by
extremists and value‐driven
groups justified by their beliefs.
O Target selection is based rage
against what the targeted
organization does or represents.
Type V: Ideological Violence
The shooting at the Planned
Parenthood office in
Colorado Springs, CO in
November 2015 is a clear
example of Type V violence.

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Workplace Violence
is Not Just Gun Violence
O While the media tends to report
on sensational workplace
shootings, gun-related violence
on the job is statistically rare.
O Workplace violence must be
understood as potential violence
well beyond firearms.
Even a hot cup of tea or
coffee can become a
weapon.
Note: Having an Active
Shooter Response Plan is
not equivalent of having a
Workplace Violence
Prevention Program.

Section Two
Guidance for Employers

Occupational Safety and Health Act
O The OSH Act of 1970 mandates
that, in addition to compliance
with hazard-specific standards,
all employers have a “general
duty” to provide their employees
with a workplace free from
recognized hazards likely to
cause death or serious physical
harm.

OSHA & Workplace Violence
O While OSHA does not have a specific regulation
regarding workplace violence, it is considered a
foreseeable risk, and as with other workplace hazards,
states that, “employers have a 'general duty’ to provide
their employees with a workplace free from recognized
hazards likely to cause death or serious physical
harm.”
O Although there are no rules that specifically for lone
workers, the broad duties defined by OSHA still
apply.

Important Definitions
WORKPLACE
Any location, permanent or
temporary, where an employee
performs a work-related duty
Includes but is not limited to
the building & the surrounding
perimeter (i.e., parking lot)
Includes field locations,
workers’ homes and any
location where business work-
related functions are conducted
For OSHA, the term
“workplace” is synonymous
with “on the job” and “on
duty.”

OSHA & Lone Workers
For OSHA, the lone worker is a gray area. Only a few government
resources on lone work are available to employers, and some
vague language in OSHA’s regulations. For example:
O 1915.84(a) Except as provided in 1915.51(c)(3) of this part,
whenever an employee is working alone, such as in a confined
space or isolated location, the employer shall account for
each employee;
O 1915.84(a)(1) Throughout each work shift at regular intervals
appropriate to the job assignment to ensure the employee’s
safety and health;
O 1915.84(a)(2) At the end of the job assignment or at the end
of the work shift, whichever occurs first;
O 1915.84(b) The employer shall account for each employee by
sight or verbal communication.
Note: These citations are from OSHA re: shipyards.

Duty to Care
O All employers have a Duty of Care to their employees,
regardless of where they work.
O The Duty of Care may be a shared responsibility between a
lone worker and their employer. Each must do their part.
O Lone workers should not be at more risk than other
employees.
O Due to the risks faced by lone and remote workers, and
the lack of assistance if something goes wrong, the Duty to
Care takes on a greater importance.
O Fulfilling a Duty of Care means that the employer should
take all steps which are reasonably possible to ensure the
health, safety and wellbeing of their employees.

Employer Responsibilities
O Ensure lone workers have no medical conditions
which can make them unsuitable for working
alone.
O Be aware that some tasks may be too difficult or
dangerous to be carried out alone.
O Provide some level of supervision.
O Put contact procedures in place for lone workers
who may be faced with workplace violence.
O Check whether there are any specific legal
requirements.

Organizing a Lone Worker
Violence Prevention Program
O Need, justification and authorization.
O Ownership, commitment, and responsibility.
O Policy and procedures necessary for functioning.
(Legal counsel)
O Organize resources, design system and refine.
O Training, implementation, more training.
O Maintenance of program, trouble-shooting and
ongoing training.

WPV Lone Worker Policy
When developing a Lone Worker Workplace Violence Prevention
Policy include:
O Management commitment to preventing and managing
workplace violence risks.
O Statement that violence in the workplace is unacceptable and
will not be tolerated.
O Acknowledgement of occupational violence hazards.
O Potential risk factors.
O Statement that appropriate action by workers will be supported.
O All incidents and near misses will be investigated and action
taken to prevent or reduce risks.
This should be consistent with or a subpart of overall
organizational workplace violence prevention policies.

Policy Components
O General: A lone worker policy will outline how the
organization manages the safety of lone workers.
O Communications-specific: Explain to staff how they
should communicate with the organization in different
circumstances (including hostile or violent encounters)
while working alone. This may include:
O Checking-in at reasonable times throughout the day,
O Checking out of each address after each visit,
O Checking that the lone worker has reached home
safely.
O Use of communication technologies.

Risk Assessment
O Risk assessment is an essential element of ensuring
lone worker safety. The main goals of any risk
assessment should include:
O Identifying the foreseeable risks (general) to the
safety of employees working.
O Identifying foreseeable situations and
environments in which violence would be more
likely to occur.
O Identifying counter-measures to reduce the
possibility of violent encounters and/or to protect
lone workers if violence occurs.
O Managers and supervisors should monitor and review
the risk assessment regularly to ensure it is still valid.

Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)
O JHAs can provide several
benefits, including assisting in
training and incident
investigation.
O A specific Job Hazard Analysis
(JHA) is recommended for jobs
that carry a higher risk for
hostile or violent encounters.
O Involving workers in the process
is helpful since they are often
the most knowledgeable about
the actual risks.

Risk & Job Hazard Analysis
When conducting a Risk or Job Hazard Analysis,
employers should consider:
O How likely the threat is and how severe the
outcome may be?
O The location of the workplace?
O Distances from help?
O If the work carried out after dark?
O Distances travelled, road surfaces and condition?
O Known area or security hazards?
O Mobile phone coverage?

Key Training Areas
O Training is especially important in circumstances
where there is limited supervision to control,
guide and help in uncertain or dangerous
situations.
O Identify clear limits about what can and cannot be
done if violence is encountered while working
alone.
O Such training may help reduce panic and
emotional distress, as well as physical injury in
the face of potential violence.
36

General Training Areas
O Who is a lone worker.
O What are the possible risks to safety.
O What can be done to counter these risks, (e.g. What
policies, procedures and protocols are in place to ensure
safety.)
O Reporting accidents, incidents and near misses.
O Ensuring accountability.
O Calling for help in an emergency.

Specific Training Areas
O Personal safety.
O Dealing with threatening and
aggressive behavior.
O Awareness strategies.
O What to do in specific
situations.
O Record keeping.

Supervision
O It remains an employer’s duty to supervise employees even
if constant supervision is not possible.
O Supervision around the risk of violence and violence
prevention measures can be provided in site visits and
while checking on overall performance indicators (e.g.,
progress, quality, etc.)
O Ongoing supervision can help employers and employees
understand the changing nature of some types of violence
(e.g., recent increase in gang activity in the area, etc.)
O Be cognizant of the employment law concept of “negligent
supervision” and its relationship to injuries and deaths
stemming from violence on the job.

Accountability
O One component of supervision is “accountability” in
that employers should know where lone workers are for
their own safety.
O There are several systems that employers can adopt to
ensure workers can located.
O An approach blending work practices and technologies
is often most helpful.

Support
Support of lone worker safety and
violence prevent must be clearly
communicated and consistently
provided before, during and after an
incident or emergency.
This includes:
O Support of both executive and line
management.
O Immediate post incident support.
O Connection to post-incident
resources (e.g., police, EAP, crime
victims services, etc.)
O Report and investigation.
O Feedback/information.

Post-Incident Response
O Emotional reactions to
violent incidents may vary
between individuals.
O Information about an
employee’s reactions should
be safeguarded to protect
the safety, security and
privacy of all involved.
Post-incident emotional support can:
O Relieve both emotional and physical suffering,
O Improve people’s short-term functioning.
O Accelerate an individual’s course of recovery.

Section Three
Guidance for Employees

Employee Responsibilities
Employees have a responsibility to:
O Follow the employer’s policies and procedures for safety and
violence prevention.
O Take reasonable care of their own and other people’s safety.
O Maintain an awareness of their surroundings and the possible
threats to their personal safety when working alone.
O Be involved in assessing risk and identifying safety measures.
O Leave the working environment if there is an imminent danger
to their safety.
O Take part in and follow guidance provided in training to ensure
their safety.

Additional Responsibilities
O Inform the employer when safety or violence
prevention measures are not adequate or effective.
O Inform the employer when they have encountered a
“near miss” or have identified additional violence
risks that were previously unidentified.
O Report to the employer any actual accidents or
incidents that occur.

The Lone Worker Security Test
Spend time working from your car trunk?
Sit alone in your car making data entries?
Walk to and from facilities with expensive/desirable
samples or equipment?
Carry expensive electronics?
Find yourself in parking lots, hotels, or other facilities
late at night?
Go to isolated locations?
Spend hours driving alone for long distances?
Travel to locations without cellular signal?
Travel at night?
Interact with people you don’t know well?
Do you frequently…

Self Assessment
 When working alone, am I aware of my
surroundings and any possible threats?
 Do I leave a situation if I feel unsafe and
back away from threatening situations?
 Do I know my employer’s policy or
position on this? (i.e., leaving)
 Do I know my escape routes?
 Do I report any incident as soon as
possible to my line manager?
 Could I obtain assistance if they were
threatened, injured or ill while working
alone or at remote worksites?

Violence Prevention & Response Toolkit
O Smartphone
O Company policies
O Safety best practices
O Safety products
O Action checklists
O Situational awareness
O Verbal De-escalation
skills
O Environmental controls
O Communications
system
O Good instincts
Recommended Reading
“The Gift of Fear”
Gavin deBecker

Keys to Situational Awareness
O The ability to establish and monitor a baseline.
O The ability to recognize change from the baseline.
O What is different today?
People, objects, a gut
feeling?
O Don’t keep it to yourself:
O See Something,
O Say Something,
O Do Something.

Baseline & Anomalies
BASELINENormal
Variation
Positive anomalies fall above the baseline:
Behaviors or conditions that should not be there, but are.
Negative anomalies fall below the baseline:
Behaviors or conditions that should be there, but aren’t.

Three Common Obstacles
to Situational Awareness
1. Not Monitoring the Baseline. If you
are not monitoring the baseline, you
will not recognize the presence of
threats that represent a risk.
2. Normalcy Bias. We have a bias
towards the status quo. Nothing has
ever happened here, so nothing is
likely to happen.
3. Focus Lock. This is some form of
distraction that is so engaging, that
focuses all of our awareness on one
thing and by default, blocks all the
other stimulus in our environment.
Recommended Reading
“Left of Bang”
Patrick Van Horne Jason A. Riley

Three Effective Techniques
to Improve Situational Awareness
1. Monitor the Baseline. At first, this will
require conscious effort.
2. Fight Normalcy Bias. This requires
you to be paranoid for a while as you
develop your ability. Look at every
anomaly in the baseline environment
as a potential threat.
3. Avoid using the obvious focus locks
in transition areas. It is OK to text
while you are sitting at your desk or
laying in bed. But it’s NOT OK to text
as you walk from the office to the
parking garage.That text message can wait.
Keep alert in transitional areas.

Do Something:
Get Off the “X”
O An aggressor is coming toward you. You don’t want to be
there. If you move, even one step, the aggressor now has
to adjust to you. This movement off the X, away from the
spot where the aggressor may strike, will help to keep
you alive.
O The site of the attack is a dangerous place to be. Remove
yourself from the site of the attack and you will increase
your odds of survival.
O Pick a direction and
get off the X!

Stay “Left of Bang!”
O “Bang” is where an attack begins or damage is done.
O On a timeline moving from left to right, “right of bang” is
what happens after the violence begins. In the worst-
case scenario, you’re a casualty to the right of bang.
O Therefore, you need to stay to the “left of bang.” In that
zone you need to be alert, ready, prepared, and able to
respond before the bad stuff happens.
BANG!LEFT RIGHT
Before After

Perform a Violence Prevention Premortem
Asking before an incident,
in what ways can this go wrong?

Prospective Hindsight
O Imagining that an adverse event
has already occurred increases
the ability to correctly identify
reasons for future outcomes by
30%.1
O Using prospective hindsight to
conduct a premortem helps
identify risks at the outset.2
O Doing this at the beginning of an
assignment rather than the end
allows the assignment to be
improved rather than autopsied.
1. Deborah J. Mitchell, J. Edward
Russo, Nancy Pennington, Back to
the Future: Temporal Perspective
in the Explanation of
Events, Journal of Behavioral
Decision Making, 2, 25-38 (1989).
2. Gary Klein, Harvard Business
Review, 2007
http://hbr.org/2007/09/performin
g-a-project-premortem/ar/1

Operational Recommendations [1]
O Relocating the service to another location.
O Using two workers rather than one when risk is
perceived to be elevated.
O Using mobile phones or other electronic methods to
obtain assistance with emergency numbers on speed
dial.
O Monitoring the location of staff (e.g., “flight plans, call
in schedules, etc.)
O Ensuring workers have reliable vehicles (particularly for
work at night) and roadside assistance.

O Mapping emergency coordinates of remote locations.
O Mapping areas where there is generally no mobile
phone coverage and developing communication
systems for these areas.
O Ensuring that a worker’s family and friends have the
relevant office contact details and can advise the
workplace if the worker does not arrive home at their
usual time.
O Providing the on-call coordinator with work time and
location details to assist tracking workers who do not
arrive home on time.

O Identifying:
O What the emergency
communication
system is.
O The types of
emergency situation
in which workers
should be calling for
help.
O Who to contact.
O How to contact them.
O Whether any code
words are required.
O Agreeing on an universal
distress code that is not
commonly used but can
be worked into any
conversation:
O Example: “Hi, this is
Mike. I’m with Mr. Wilson
on South Street. Can you
please email me the
RED FILE?”

In Conclusion…
O Workplace violence is a recognized hazard in almost
every industry, but is a special risk in jobs involving lone
workers.
O Lone workers should not be at more risk than other
employees in an organization.
O Safety and security in lone work is a shared obligation
between the employer and employee.
O Both parties benefit from a pragmatic and proactive
approach to identifying risks and resources to mitigate
the risk of violence.
Rule One on every job must be:
Everyone goes home safely at the end of their shift.

For More Information
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New York Metro Area
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Email: info@behavioralscienceapps.com
Web: www.behavioralscienceapps.com

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