NEW ORLEANS — Technology has emerged as a new strategy to help workplaces prevent acts of violence against workers, an issue that has virtually every industry increasingly concerned and regulators bracing for change, according to a National Safety Council researcher.
Kenna Carlsen, a research associate who spoke Monday at the National Safety Council’s Safety Congress & Expo, presented survey results that showed a steady rise in those who think they are unsafe: in 2020, 22% of 1,500 employees felt that they were likely to be exposed to workplace violence and in 2023 that number rose to 35%. For 1,500 employers surveyed, the likelihood of violence rose similarly from 25% in 2020 to 33% in 2023.
California’s governor on Sept. 20 signed S.B. 533, requiring, among a list of new regulations, that all workplaces by July 1, 2024, create and maintain violence prevention plans. Ms. Carlsen said other states may do the same, causing workplaces everywhere to do more to protect workers from harm.
While the best practices include maintaining a healthy workplace where workers can have their mental needs addressed, providing opportunities to report threats, and assessing and reducing risk factors in the work environment, Ms. Carlsen said employers are often limited in what they can do to prevent intentional acts of violence.
For example, some employers have operations in unsafe areas, and some require tasks that are inherently dangerous for workers. Lone workers or those working in clients’ homes, as examples, more often face acts of violence, she said.
Such technologies as artificial intelligence to monitor camera footage, panic or duress buttons, lone worker monitoring systems that include wearables, case management systems and predictive modeling are emerging as ways to help employers prevent and better respond to threats, according to Ms. Carlsen, adding that each has pros and cons — and that technology will not be able to replace other measures.
“There’s no replacing having a strong (violence prevention) policy,” she said. “There’s no replacing having well-communicated reporting procedure. You need to engage with your employees, providing workplace training, especially in recognizing (threats) and de-escalation.”