Workplace Violence Employer Liability

Although workplace violence cannot be eradicated, employers can take steps to prevent the likelihood of a violent incident, and to better manage the aftermath if one does occur. This book is a practical guide for those charged with addressing workplace violence concerns either on behalf of their employer or their client. The contributing authors represent a variety of experiences and opinions, including mental health clinicians, security experts, workplace safety researchers and practitioners, and lawyers and provide valuable information and advice on: The problem of workplace violence and the different forms it takes, The underlying psychological factors that may prompt someone to act out violently, Potential legal issues, such as employer liability or due process rights of public employees, Tools available to employers to avert or reduce the likelihood of an incident. Book jacket.

The Psychology and Law of Workplace Violence examines the causes, risk factors, prevention and legal issues associated with workplace violence. Previous attempts to explain these crimes are often only descriptive and do not identify the basic underlying psychological mechanisms and yet, from the largest violent acts, such as the September 11th "Attack on America," to the smallest violent workplace crime, the psychological mechanisms are the same. This landmark text offers a different perspective to the current concepts of workplace violence and will likely change the way people conceptualize violent crime. Part One of the text identifies eight underlying factors responsible for these crimes, identifies two necessary conditions for their occurrence, and develops several significant, new concepts related to the field. Part Two discusses state and federal legal issues surrounding workplace violence. Workers' compensation, employer liability and employer duties under negligence law, hiring, supervision and firing, the legal aspects surrounding premises security, employee privacy issues, the ADA, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and criminal history inquiries are but a few of the many legal topics discussed. This section is written in a practical, easy-to-understand manner and contains materials that are often available only in law libraries. The final Part Three of the text is a compendium of workplace violence case histories and includes numerous nationally recognizable incidents along with many others that have not been widely publicized. An interesting description of details surrounding each crime and its aftermath is included. What happened to the perpetrator? What happened to the victims? In addition, for many cases, how the case relates to other cases and issues that have arisen from the case are discussed. In this section, which is the largest published compilation of case history material on workplace violence to date, covers over

20 murders every week. 18,000 assaults in the same time. All on the job. Sharp increases in workplace violence continue to take an unfortunate toll on American business-and its employees, families and communities. Preventative measures may be well-intentioned, but pose troubling conflicts in themselves, pitting each employee's privacy vs. overall worker protection. A full-self evaluation of your business and its personnel may be the key to safeguard against workplace violence. Thomas D. Schneid's Occupational Health Guide to Violence in the Workplace provides the important guidelines for that careful, all-encompassing examination. Most books on workplace violence focus on psychological profiles. In a change of pace, Schneid examines the issue from a safety/health professional's viewpoint, taking all angles, legal issues, and potential ramifications into account. Chapters focus on not only in-house efforts to prevent violent incidents, but also government and legal standards directly or indirectly related to worker's rights and corporate liability. Make every effort to prevent workplace violence from hitting home: start with advice from the Occupational Health Guide to Violence in the Workplace

This timely book will help you recognize, respond to and prevent domestic violence and reduce your direct liability as an employer. Written by a domestic violence specialist, the book's 10 chapters provide valuable insight into the complexities of dealing with domestic violence in business. With this book you can save valuable employees from termination, and gain in return years of loyal and dedicated service.

If employers ever have had an incentive to electronically monitor employees through video and e-mail surveillance, it is today. Employers increasingly are found vicariously liable for sexual harassment in the workplace, negligent retention claims are being made more frequently, and workplace violence has tripled in the past decade. Employers, who are potentially liable for their employees' actions, understandably feel justified in keeping tabs on their employees through various monitoring and surveillance techniques. The employers who decide to take this step are aided by the fact that surveillance technology is cheap and readily available. Employers, however, may be found liable for invasion of privacy when monitoring employees. The competing interests of employers seeking to limit their liability for wrongful acts of their employees and employees seeking to protect their privacy have created a need for federal legislation. This Note explores what type of federal legislation would best resolve the conflict between these interests. In Part I, this Note examines the traditional theories of employer liability and the increased liability employers face today. In Part II, this Note examines the link between the increased liability and the proliferation of employers who electronically monitor employees. This Note also considers the workplace privacy concerns created by employer surveillance in the state and federal legal contexts. Part III concludes that the conflict between employer liability and employee privacy must be solved through federal legislation similar to that proposed in Congress in 1993, which sought to protect employee privacy and simultaneously reduce some employer liability.

Workplace Violence: Issues in Threat Management defines what workplace violence is, delves into the myths and realities surrounding the topic and provides readers with the latest statistics, thinking, and strategies in the prevention of workplace violence. The authors, who themselves have implemented successful workplace violence protection programs, guide novice and experienced practitioners alike in the development of their own programs.