Injury and Illness Prevention Plan for Workplace Security Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Services

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1 INTRODUCTION It is County policy to provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions at each of its sites. It is the Department s intent to do all that is reasonable to prevent employee personal injury and to protect all employees from unnecessary and foreseeable work hazards, including the public insofar as they come into direct contact with County operations and services. ADMHS is committed to providing a safe work environment that is free of violence and the threat of violence. The top priority in this process is effectively handling critical workplace incidents, especially dealing with actual or potential violence. Our Department s establishment of the IIPP addresses the hazards known to be associated with the three major types of workplace violence: Type I workplace violence involves a violent act by an assailant with no legitimate relationship to the workplace who enters the workplace to commit a robbery or other criminal act. Type II involves a violent act or threat of violence by a recipient of a service provided by our establishment, such as a client, patient, customer or prisoner. Type III involves a violent act or threat of violence by a current or former employee, supervisor or manger, or another person who has some employment-related involvement with our establishment, such as an employee s spouse or lover, and employee s relative or friend, or another person who has dispute with our employees. Because ADMHS runs the Psychiatric Health Facility, where clients are often held under Welfare and Institution Code 5150 against their will, ADMHS is particularly at risk for Type II workplace violence events. GENERAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES In accordance with County Of Santa Barbara Injury and Illness Program (IIPP), general responsibilities are outlined as follows: The Injury and Illness Prevention Program Administrator, along with the Department Director, has the authority and the responsibility for implementing and maintaining the IIPP for workplace security for the Alcohol Drug and Mental Health Department. Managers and supervisors are responsible for implementing and maintaining the IIPP in their work areas and for answering employee s questions about the IIPP. A copy of this IIPP is available for each manager and supervisor. All employees are expected to work conscientiously to implement and maintain this IIPP. No employee is exempt from knowing about, promoting, and practicing safe and healthy work practices. Those who have control over the welfare of others are responsible for their own actions and those of their subordinates. Final 06/01/05 1

2 Currently, the role of the Department s IIPP Administrator is assigned to the Departmental Safety Representatives - the Human Resources Manager and the Facilities Manager. The Department s IIPP Committee is the same as the Department s Safety Committee. COMPLIANCE We have established the following policy to ensure compliance with our rules on workplace security. Management of our department is committed to ensuring that all safety and health policies and procedures involving workplace security are clearly communicated and understood by all employees. All employees are responsible for using safe work practices, for following directives, policies and procedures, and for assisting in maintaining a safe and secure work environment. Our system of ensuring that all employees, including supervisors and managers, comply with work practices that are designed to make the workplace more secure, and do not engage in threats or physical actions which create a security hazard for others in the workplace, include: 1. Informing employees, supervisors and managers of the provisions of our IIPP for Workplace Security. 2. Evaluating the performance of all employees in complying with our establishment s workplace security measures. 3. Recognizing employees who perform work practices which promote security in the workplace. 4. Providing training and/or counseling to employees whose performance is deficient in complying with work practices designed to ensure workplace security. 5. Disciplining employees for failure to comply with workplace security practices. COMMUNICATION The Department recognizes that open communication between management and staff on IIPP issues is essential to an injury and illness free, productive workplace. Managers and supervisors are responsible for communicating with employees about occupational safety and health in a form readily understandable by all employees. Our communication system encourages all employees to inform their managers and supervisors about workplace hazards without fear of reprisal. Our communication system includes the following items: New hire orientation including a discussion of safety and healthy policies and procedures and a review of the IIPP. Training programs. Regularly scheduled safety meetings. Posted or distributed safety information. A system for employees to anonymously inform management about workplace hazards, i.e. through the Staff Hotline. Final 06/01/05 2

3 A system to ensure that all employees, including managers and supervisors, understand the workplace security policies. Procedures for protecting employees who report threats from retaliation by the person making the threats. Addressing security issues at our workplace safety meetings. HAZARD ASSESSMENT Periodic inspections to identify and evaluate workplace hazards are performed by a competent observer in all Department locations and clinics. Periodic inspections are performed according to the following schedule: When we establish our IIPP; When new substances, processes, procedures or equipment which present potential new hazards are introduced into our new workplace; When new, previously unidentified hazards are recognized; When occupational injuries and illnesses occur; and Whenever workplace conditions warrant an inspection. Periodic inspections for security hazards consist of identification and evaluation of workplace security hazards and changes in employee work practices, and may require assessing for more than one type of workplace violence. Our Department performs inspections for each type of workplace violence by using the methods specified below to identify and evaluate workplace security hazards. Inspections for Type I workplace security hazards include assessing: 1. The exterior and interior of the workplace for its attractiveness to robbers. 2. The need for security surveillance measures, such as mirrors or cameras. 3. Posting of signs notifying the public that limited cash is kept on the premises. 4. Procedures for employee response during a robbery or other criminal act. 5. Procedures for reporting suspicious persons or activities. 6. Posting of emergency telephone numbers for law enforcement, fire and medical services where employees have access to a telephone with an outside line. 7. Limiting of the amount of cash on hand and using locking cabinets for cash storage. Inspections for Type II workplace security hazards include assessing: 1. Access to, and freedom of movement within, the workplace. 2. Adequacy of workplace security systems, such as door locks, security windows, physical barriers and restraint systems. 3. Frequency and severity of threatening or hostile situations that may lead to violent acts by persons who are service recipients of our establishment. 4. Employees skill in safely handling threatening or hostile service recipients. 5. Effectiveness of systems and procedures to warn others of a security danger or to summon assistance, e.g., alarms or panic buttons. 6. The use of work practices such as buddy systems for specified emergency events. 7. The availability of employee escape routes. Final 06/01/05 3

4 Inspections for Type III workplace security hazards include assessing: 1. How well our department s anti-violence policy has been communicated to employees, supervisors or managers. 2. How well our department s management and employees communicate with each other. 3. Our employees, supervisors and managers knowledge of the warning signs of potential workplace violence. 4. Access to and freedom of movement within, the workplace by non-employees, including recently discharged employees or persons with whom one of our employees is having a dispute. 5. Frequency and severity of employee reports of threats of physical or verbal abuse by manager, supervisors or other employees. 6. Any prior violent acts, threats of physical violence, verbal abuse, property damage or other signs of strain or pressure in the workplace. 7. Employee disciplinary and discharge procedures. INCIDENT REPORTING The following procedure is followed for incident reporting: Personnel involved reports accident immediately to supervisor. The Supervisor notifies the Departmental Safety Representatives. Depending on severity of accident/exposure, the supervisor, the Departmental Safety Representatives contact the Department Director, Santa Barbara County s Safety Officer and other appropriate personnel immediately. Documented corrective action is taken to remedy the hazardous situation by the above designated individuals. For reporting workplace security incidents, please use the Employee s Report of Incident Only form in the SBC/ADMHS Safety Manual, Appendix A-4, Reporting procedures for IIPP section. INCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS We have established the following policy for investigating incidents of workplace violence. Our procedures for investigating incidents of workplace violence, which includes threats and physical injury, include: 1. Reviewing all previous incidents. 2. Visiting the scene of an incident as soon as possible. 3. Interviewing threatened or injured employees and witnesses. 4. Examining the workplace for security risk factors associated with the incident, including any previous reports of inappropriate behavior by the perpetrator. 5. Determining the cause of the incident. 6. Taking corrective action to prevent the incident from reoccurring. 7. Recording the findings and corrective actions taken. For investigating workplace security incidents, please use the County of Santa Barbara s Near Miss/Incident Reporting form in the SBC/ADMHS Safety Manual, Appendix A-4, Reporting Procedures for IIPP section. Final 06/01/05 4

5 HAZARD CORRECTION Hazards which threaten the security of employees are corrected in a timely manner based on severity when they are first observed or discovered. Corrective measures for Type I workplace security hazards can include: 1. Making the workplace unattractive to robbers. 2. Utilizing surveillance measures, such as cameras or mirrors, to provide information as to what is going on outside and inside the workplace. 3. Procedures for reporting suspicious persons or activities. 4. Posting of emergency telephone numbers for law enforcement, fire and medical services where employees have access to a telephone with an outside line. 5. Posting of signs notifying the public that limited cash is kept on the premises. 6. Limiting the amount of cash on hand and using locking cabinets for cash storage. 7. Employee, supervisor and management training on emergency action procedures. Corrective measures for Type II workplace security hazards include: 1. Controlling access to the workplace and freedom of movement within it, consistent with business necessity. 2. Ensuring the adequacy of workplace security systems, such as door locks, security windows, physical barriers and restraint systems. 3. Providing employee training in recognizing and handling threatening or hostile situations that may lead to violent acts by persons who are service recipients of our department. 4. Placing effective systems to warn others of security danger or to summon assistance, e.g., alarms or panic buttons. 5. Providing procedures for a buddy system for specified emergency events. 6. Ensuring adequate employee escape routes. Corrective measures for Type III workplace security hazards include: 1. Effectively communicating our department s anti-violence policy to all employees, supervisors and managers. 2. Improving how well our department s management and employees communicate with each other. 3. Increasing awareness by employees, supervisors and managers of the warning signs of potential workplace violence. 4. Controlling access to and freedom of movement within the workplace by non-employees, including recently discharged employees or persons with whom one of our employees is having a dispute. 5. Providing counseling to employees, supervisors or managers who exhibit behavior that represents strain or pressure. 6. Ensure that all report of violent acts, threats of physical violence, verbal abuse, property damage or other signs of strain or pressure in the workplace are handled effectively by management and that the person making the report is not subject to retaliation by the person making the threat. Final 06/01/05 5

6 7. Ensure that employee disciplinary and discharge procedures address the potential for workplace violence. For documenting the correction of workplace security incidents, please use the County of Santa Barbara s Near Miss/Incident Reporting form in the SBC/ADMHS Safety Manual, Appendix A-4, Reporting Procedures for IIPP section. TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION We have established the following policy on training all employees with respect to workplace security. All employees, including managers and supervisors, have training and instruction on general and job-specific workplace security practices. Training and instruction are provided when the IIPP is first established and periodically thereafter. Training is also provided to all new employees and to other employees for whom training has not previously been provided and to all employees, supervisors and managers given new job assignments for which specific workplace security training for that job assignment has not previously been provided. Additional training and instruction will be provided to all personnel whenever the employer is made aware of new or previously unrecognized security hazards. General workplace security training and instruction includes, but is not limited to the following: 1. Explanation of the IIPP including measures for reporting any violent acts or threats of violence. 2. Recognition of workplace security hazards including the risk factors associated with the three types of workplace violence. 3. Measures to prevent workplace violence, including procedures for reporting workplace security hazards or threats to managers and supervisors. 4. Ways to diffuse hostile or threatening situations. 5. Measures to summon others for assistance. 6. Instructing employees in escape routes. 7. Notification of law enforcement authorities when a criminal act may have occurred. 8. Emergency medical care provided in the event of any violent act upon an employee; and 9. Post-event trauma counseling for those employees desiring such assistance. In addition, we provide specific instructions to all employees regarding workplace security hazards unique to their job assignment, to the extent that such information was not already covered in other training. RECORDKEEPING In accordance with County Of Santa Barbara Injury and Illness Program (IIPP), general responsibilities in regards to recordkeeping are to be followed. Each supervisor will maintain an updated copy of this IIPP as amended by the department. Final 06/01/05 6