[Phone rings]
Ann: “Cutting Edge, this is Ann.”
Customer: “I’m seeing a lot of statistics on work place violence. Geez, I hate the idea of being a statistic. What can background checks do for me?”
Ann: “I wouldn’t want to be just a number either. Isn’t there a song like that? I digress.”
Workplace violence is huge concern and performing adequate pre-employment screenings can be a big step in the prevention of workplace violence.”
The National Safety Council says that for some occupations, violence is the third leading cause of death. Every year 2 million American workers report having been victims of workplace violence. In 2014, 409 people were fatally injured in work-related attacks.
While roadway incidents are the No 1 cause of death for workers overall, violence is the third leading cause for healthcare workers, and employees in professional and business services like education, law and media. Taxi drivers, for example, are more than 20 times more likely to be murdered on the job than other works, according to OSHA.
According to the National Safety Council, it is important to know the warning signs:
- Excessive use of alcohol or drugs
- Unexplained absenteeism, change in behavior or declined in job performance
- Depression, withdrawal or suicidal comments
- Resistance to changes at work or persistent complaining about unfair treatment
- Violation of company policies
- Emotional responses to criticism, mood swings
- Paranoia
Most every “place” is someone’s workplace, so whether you are a patron or employee, be aware.
We know that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, check the criminal conviction records at the state, local and federal level. Be diligent, take the time and resources necessary to complete a proper pre-employment background check.
