[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Cazenovia 8-10-2020 by Res. No. 91-2020. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
The Town
of Cazenovia is committed to the safety and security of its employees.
Workplace violence presents a serious occupational safety hazard to
Town employees and to members of the general public who interact with
them. "Workplace violence" is defined as any physical assault or act
of aggressive behavior occurring where a public employee performs
any work-related duty in the course of his or her employment, including
but not limited to:
(1)
An attempt
or threat, whether verbal or physical, to inflict physical injury
upon an employee;
(2)
Any
intentional display of force which would give an employee reason to
fear or expect bodily harm;
(3)
Intentional
and wrongful physical contact with a person without his or her consent
that entails some injury; or
(4)
Stalking
an employee with the intent of causing fear of material harm to the
physical safety and health of such employee when such stalking has
arisen through and in the course of employment.
B.
All reports
of acts of violence against any Town officer or employee during the
performance of any work-related duty will be thoroughly investigated
and appropriate action will be taken, including involving law enforcement
authorities when warranted. All employees are responsible for helping
to create an environment of mutual respect for each other, as well
as members of the general public with whom they interact, following
all policies, procedures and practices, and are responsible for assisting
in maintaining a safe and secure work environment.
C.
This policy
is designed to meet the requirements of New York State Labor Law §
27-b and highlights some of the elements of the Town's Workplace Violence
Prevention Program. The process
involved in complying with this chapter includes a workplace evaluation
that is designed to identify the risks of workplace violence to which
Town employees could be exposed. Authorized employee representative(s)
will, at a minimum, be involved in:
D.
All employees
will participate in the Workplace Violence Prevention Training Program.
The goal of this policy is to promote the safety and well-being of
all people in the workplace. All incidents of violence or threatening
behavior will be responded to immediately upon notification. All personnel
are responsible for notifying the contact person designated below
of any violent incidents, threatening behavior, including threats
they have witnessed, received, or have been told that another person
has witnessed or received.
This policy applies to all employees, members of the public,
visitors, vendors, contractors and others who do business with the
Town.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any behavior that is violent, threatens violence, coerces, harasses
or intimidates others, interferes with an individual's legal rights
of movement or expression, or disrupts the workplace, the work environment,
or the Town's ability to provide services to the public. Examples
of workplace violence include but are not limited to:
Disruptive behavior intended to disturb, interfere with or prevent
normal work activities (e.g., yelling, using profanity, verbally abusing
others, or waving arms and fists).
Intentional physical contact for the purpose of causing harm
(e.g., slapping, stabbing, punching, striking, shoving or other physical
attack).
Menacing or threatening behavior (e.g., throwing objects, pounding
on a desk or door, damaging property, stalking, or otherwise acting
aggressively; or making oral or written statements specifically intended
to frighten, coerce, or threaten) where a reasonable person could
interpret such behavior as constituting evidence of intent to cause
harm to individuals or property.
No unauthorized person may possess in any building owned by
the Town a firearm, imitation firearm, knives or other dangerous weapon,
instruments or materials that can be used to inflict bodily harm on
an individual or damage to Town property.
Workplace violence can take many forms, including violence by
coworkers, strangers, customers and those resulting from a personal
relationship.
The Town has zero tolerance on any type of workplace violence
committed by or against employees.
A.
If you or
someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 and your supervisor.
B.
Report any
threatening or potentially dangerous situations or actions to your
department head, the Town Supervisor or the Town Clerk immediately.
C.
Reports
can be made anonymously and all reported incidents will be investigated.
D.
Reports
or incidents warranting confidentiality will be handled appropriately
and information will be disclosed to others only on a need-to-know
basis.
E.
The Town
may actively intervene at indications of a potential hostile or violent
situation.
A.
If you work
after dark, try to be with a coworker as you walk to your vehicle.
B.
Be attentive
to types of potentially dangerous situations or behavior, including:
C.
The Town
will conduct periodic inspections of the premises to evaluate and
determine any vulnerability to workplace violence or hazards. Necessary
corrective action will be taken to mitigate risk.
D.
Visitors
or customers who are unknown to employees may be required to show
identification. Employees should feel free to ask to see ID if they
do not know the person.
Areas of risk include:
Desks, telephones, Town-owned vehicles, machinery and computers
are the property of the Town. The Town reserves the right to enter
or inspect your work area, including but not limited to desks and
computer hard drives, without notice.
A.
It is everyone's
business to prevent violence in the workplace. You can help by reporting
what you see that could indicate that you or a coworker is in trouble.
You are in a position to know what is happening with those you work
with and, as a result, we rely on your involvement.
B.
You are
strongly encouraged to report any incident that may involve a violation
of any of the Town's policies that are designed to provide a comfortable
workplace environment. All reports will be investigated. Reports should
be made to your department head, the Town Supervisor, a member of
the Town Board or the Town Clerk.
Training of affected employees will be performed upon initial
assignment and annually thereafter. Retraining is required any time
there is a significant change to the program, a risk factor, or work
control. Training topics will include the following:
A.
Requirements
of the New York State Workplace Violence Prevention Law.
B.
Details
of the risk factors identified in the risk assessment and our organization's
procedures for conducting the risk assessment.
C.
How employees
can protect themselves, summon assistance, report threats and incidents
and how to suggest improvements to the program.
D.
Description
and review of our written Workplace Violence Prevention Program.
E.
How to obtain
a copy of the Workplace Violence Prevention Plan and where it is kept.
F.
How to obtain
post-incident crisis counseling.
G.
Training
on dealing with potentially violent clients, citizens and coworkers.
A.
The recordkeeping
requirements outlined in 12 NYCRR Part 801, Recording and Reporting
Public Employees' Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, must be used
to document recordable injuries sustained during workplace violence
incidents.
B.
In addition
to Part 801, all incidents will be investigated and documented to
insure that all threats and workplace violence incidents are reported
to management. These reports will provide written notification when
a violence incident occurs so that management can develop an appropriate
response. The incident report will also create a historical record
that can be used in the risk assessment and program evaluations.
