this should have become apparent during the employment background checks. There must be something that makes them suddenly act in an uncharacteristic way.

Have you looked for anything common in all the violent acts committed in your plant? Perhaps this is the only one, in which case your task will be harder. The point is that some people can be triggered to commit a violent act through stress. Normally placid people can suddenly turn – they have had enough, and there are a few things that can cause this.

Stress, such as overwork or being given unrealistic targets, can have that effect. Another factor is bullying by junior managers. It’s not only junior managers – senior managers can also be bullying, but it is less common. Supervisors who have been promoted too soon, or managers who have not been trained in man management or communication can be responsible for workplace violence throug

Everybody is aware of the sensational cases of workplace violence, where the perpetrator revisits his old workplace and shoots his previous workmates, and perhaps his former employer, then turns the gun on himself. It makes a good story, and then is forgotten about. The cause is never known because the killer is dead.

Not all cases of workplace violence are like that: far from it in fact. In the type of case that occurs every day, an employee resorts to violence for predictable or unpredictable reasons. It will not reach the press unless it results in death. The problem is that all too frequently it does. In fact, workplace violence is the most common reason for workplace death after accidents involving professional drivers.

There seems to be no government impetus to reduce these deaths, even though there are two major changes in law that could help. Both of these are connected with employment screening, which is carried out by many employers prior to employing new employees.

If an employee causes deliberate violent injury to another employee, or even a member of public while carrying out his duties, the employer can be sued for damages if it can be demonstrated that the company did not identify that the assault was likely due to the employees past record. If the employer has not taken reasonable steps to ensure that the employee was unlikely to cause harm, then the employer can be sued, even though he was not breaking the law by failing to do so.

Workplace violence is such a problem that employment screening should be made mandatory. A good screening policy could significantly reduce the chances of employing someone liable to inflict violence on fellow employees. An insistence on the full residential and employment records for, say the past seven years, or even ten, with no gaps allowed unless accounted for with documented evidence, would dissuade many applicants from continuing with their applications, especially if this policy was stated clearly on the front of the application rather in small print on the back.

You should also make it clear that if the applicant does continue, the residential information will be checked, and the employment references will also be followed up. Once you have established that the residential information is accurate, you can check the county court records for each county of residence for any criminal record. The same can be done for driving records, credit reference agencies and you can also check the national sex offenders register.

By doing this, and stating your intention to do so on the application form, you can be as certain as you ever could be that you would not be employing anyone with a previous record of workplace violence. When the time comes for the interview, the employment of an interview agency skilled in psychological profiling could complete the process. All this would achieve two things.

Firstly, you could not be accused of negligent hiring. You would have done all you reasonably could be expected to do. Secondly, and in practice possibly more importantly, you will have reduced the chances of employing someone prone to workplace violence. Your workplace will be a safer place, but that is not the whole story. Employing someone with previous form is not the whole reason for violence in the workplace.

Have you considered the experience of your supervision and management? Inexperienced managers at any level can inadvertently cause violence. What triggers someone to commit violence in their own workplace, when they are likely well aware of the consequences? If they have a violent disposition this should have become apparent during the employment background checks. There must be something that makes them suddenly act in an uncharacteristic way.

Have you looked for anything common in all the violent acts committed in your plant? Perhaps this is the only one, in which case your task will be harder. The point is that some people can be triggered to commit a violent act through stress. Normally placid people can suddenly turn – they have had enough, and there are a few things that can cause this.

Stress, such as overwork or being given unrealistic targets, can have that effect. Another factor is bullying by junior managers. It’s not only junior managers – senior managers can also be bullying, but it is less common. Supervisors who have been promoted too soon, or managers who have not been trained in man management or communication can be responsible for workplace violence through

loyment screening, which is carried out by many employers prior to employing new employees.

If an employee causes deliberate violent injury to another employee, or even a member of public while carrying out his duties, the employer can be sued for damages if it can be demonstrated that the company did not identify that the assault was likely due to the employees past record. If the employer has not taken reasonable steps to ensure that the employee was unlikely to cause harm, then the employer can be sued, even though he was not breaking the law by failing to do so.

Workplace violence is such a problem that employment screening should be made mandatory. A good screening policy could significantly reduce the chances of employing someone liable to inflict violence on fellow employees. An insistence on the full residential and employment records for, say the past seven years, or even ten, with no gaps allowed unless accounted for with documented evidence, would dissuade many applicants from continuing with their applications, especially if this policy was stated clearly on the front of the application rather in small print on the back.

You should also make it clear that if the applicant does continue, the residential information will be checked, and the employment references will also be followed up. Once you have established that the residential information is accurate, you can check the county court records for each county of residence for any criminal record. The same can be done for driving records, credit reference agencies and you can also check the national sex offenders register.

By doing this, and stating your intention to do so on the application form, you can be as certain as you ever could be that you would not be employing anyone with a previous record of workplace violence. When the time comes for the interview, the employment of an interview agency skilled in psychological profiling could complete the process. All this would achieve two things.

Firstly, you could not be accused of negligent hiring. You would have done all you reasonably could be expected to do. Secondly, and in practice possibly more importantly, you will have reduced the chances of employing someone prone to workplace violence. Your workplace will be a safer place, but that is not the whole story. Employing someone with previous form is not the whole reason for violence in the workplace.

Have you considered the experience of your supervision and management? Inexperienced managers at any level can inadvertently cause violence. What triggers someone to commit violence in their own workplace, when they are likely well aware of the consequences? If they have a violent disposition this should have become apparent during the employment background checks. There must be something that makes them suddenly act in an uncharacteristic way.

Have you looked for anything common in all the violent acts committed in your plant? Perhaps this is the only one, in which case your task will be harder. The point is that some people can be triggered to commit a violent act through stress. Normally placid people can suddenly turn – they have had enough, and there are a few things that can cause this.

Stress, such as overwork or being given unrealistic targets, can have that effect. Another factor is bullying by junior managers. It’s not only junior managers – senior managers can also be bullying, but it is less common. Supervisors who have been promoted too soon, or managers who have not been trained in man management or communication can be responsible for workplace violence throug

no gaps allowed unless accounted for with documented evidence, would dissuade many applicants from continuing with their applications, especially if this policy was stated clearly on the front of the application rather in small print on the back.

You should also make it clear that if the applicant does continue, the residential information will be checked, and the employment references will also be followed up. Once you have established that the residential information is accurate, you can check the county court records for each county of residence for any criminal record. The same can be done for driving records, credit reference agencies and you can also check the national sex offenders register.

By doing this, and stating your intention to do so on the application form, you can be as certain as you ever could be that you would not be employing anyone with a previous record of workplace violence. When the time comes for the interview, the employment of an interview agency skilled in psychological profiling could complete the process. All this would achieve two things.

Firstly, you could not be accused of negligent hiring. You would have done all you reasonably could be expected to do. Secondly, and in practice possibly more importantly, you will have reduced the chances of employing someone prone to workplace violence. Your workplace will be a safer place, but that is not the whole story. Employing someone with previous form is not the whole reason for violence in the workplace.

Have you considered the experience of your supervision and management? Inexperienced managers at any level can inadvertently cause violence. What triggers someone to commit violence in their own workplace, when they are likely well aware of the consequences? If they have a violent disposition this should have become apparent during the employment background checks. There must be something that makes them suddenly act in an uncharacteristic way.

Have you looked for anything common in all the violent acts committed in your plant? Perhaps this is the only one, in which case your task will be harder. The point is that some people can be triggered to commit a violent act through stress. Normally placid people can suddenly turn – they have had enough, and there are a few things that can cause this.

Stress, such as overwork or being given unrealistic targets, can have that effect. Another factor is bullying by junior managers. It’s not only junior managers – senior managers can also be bullying, but it is less common. Supervisors who have been promoted too soon, or managers who have not been trained in man management or communication can be responsible for workplace violence throug

iolence. When the time comes for the interview, the employment of an interview agency skilled in psychological profiling could complete the process. All this would achieve two things.

Firstly, you could not be accused of negligent hiring. You would have done all you reasonably could be expected to do. Secondly, and in practice possibly more importantly, you will have reduced the chances of employing someone prone to workplace violence. Your workplace will be a safer place, but that is not the whole story. Employing someone with previous form is not the whole reason for violence in the workplace.

Have you considered the experience of your supervision and management? Inexperienced managers at any level can inadvertently cause violence. What triggers someone to commit violence in their own workplace, when they are likely well aware of the consequences? If they have a violent disposition this should have become apparent during the employment background checks. There must be something that makes them suddenly act in an uncharacteristic way.

Have you looked for anything common in all the violent acts committed in your plant? Perhaps this is the only one, in which case your task will be harder. The point is that some people can be triggered to commit a violent act through stress. Normally placid people can suddenly turn – they have had enough, and there are a few things that can cause this.

Stress, such as overwork or being given unrealistic targets, can have that effect. Another factor is bullying by junior managers. It’s not only junior managers – senior managers can also be bullying, but it is less common. Supervisors who have been promoted too soon, or managers who have not been trained in man management or communication can be responsible for workplace violence throug

this should have become apparent during the employment background checks. There must be something that makes them suddenly act in an uncharacteristic way.

Have you looked for anything common in all the violent acts committed in your plant? Perhaps this is the only one, in which case your task will be harder. The point is that some people can be triggered to commit a violent act through stress. Normally placid people can suddenly turn – they have had enough, and there are a few things that can cause this.

Stress, such as overwork or being given unrealistic targets, can have that effect. Another factor is bullying by junior managers. It’s not only junior managers – senior managers can also be bullying, but it is less common. Supervisors who have been promoted too soon, or managers who have not been trained in man management or communication can be responsible for workplace violence through bullying or simply by making unreasonable demands of employees.

This is something that you can identify and put right. If you have a close look at your company, carry out proper pre-employment screening and use the correct interviewing techniques, you should be able to reduce the incidence of workplace violence within your plant.