Workplace Violence Awareness
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) developed two workplace violence awareness programs for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE):
- Computer-based training module. Designed for the general workforce, this brief but comprehensive product defines harassment, intimidation, bullying, physical confrontations, and sabotage as unacceptable behavior, conveys methods for defusing potentially violent situations, and describes each employee’s role in reporting workplace violence.
- Instructor-delivered training. This training includes detailed information for supervisors and managers in a small interactive group setting.
ORISE also collected examples of various workplace violence policies that other entities can use as they formulate workplace violence policy specific to their organizations. ORISE offers the services of subject matter experts to develop and evaluate site-specific workplace violence training and policies.
ORISE evaluates violent workplace incidents for several offices and contractors within DOE. ORISE conducts periodic surveys of workplace violence at DOE facilities to establish a current inventory of such events.
ORISE personnel have delivered "Violence in the Workplace" orientation to more than 1,600 employees of DOE and its contractors. The seminar emphasizes increased awareness of potentially harmful behavior including:
- Types of violence
- Contributing factors
- Warning signs
- Preventive measures
ORISE continues to work with DOE and its contractors in early detection and prevention of violent behavior among the DOE workforce.