Table 1

Characteristics of Government Administration

(in percentages)

Characteristic %
Strong merit system 80.9
Diverse workforce 90.9
Reduction(s) in force over the last 5 years 43.5
Reduction(s) in employee pay and/or benefits during the past five years 4.3
Freeze(s) of employee pay and/or benefits during the past five years 34.8
Good security for its facilities 59.1
Effective policies and procedures dealing with drug and alcohol abuse by employees 100
Many facilities and buildings located in high crime areas 13.0
Increasing use of private contractors to deliver public services 21.7

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Table 2

Reasons for No Workplace Violence Policy

(in percentages)

Reasons  % Yes
Workplace violence really has never been a problem 73.7
Exposure of employees to workplace violence is really too low to worry about 15.8
Costs of implementing such a policy are seen to be too high in light of projected benefits 0.0
Organized labor has opposed such a policy 0.0
Workplace violence is generally seen as a law enforcement problem, not a management problem 5.3
Nobody has ever suggested that a workplace violence policy is needed 21.0
Existing personnel rules and regulations are considered adequate to handle workplace violence 47.4

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Table 3

Lead Official or Office in Promoting the
Adoption of Workplace Violence Policy

(multiple responses were permitted)

Official or Group Lead
Chief Executive Officer 0
Legal Counsel 0
Director of Human Resources/Personnel 5
Other elected Official(s) 0
Employee Group(s) and/or Association(s) 1
Employee Labor Union(s) 0
Community Group(s) 0

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Table 4

Types of Violence Covered by
Workplace Violence Program

(n=3)

Threat N
Violence by Terrorists 0
Violence by Clients 2
Violence by Employee 2
Violence by Intruders 0
Violence by Family Members and/or Intimates of Employees 2
Violence Against Women 1
Violence Related to Drugs and/or Alcohol Abuse 2
Violence by Prisoners or Other Institutionalized Persons 0
Violence Related to Family and/or Personal Problems 1
Violence Related to Disciplinary Actions and/or Processes 2
Other 0

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Table 5

Government Office with Lead Responsibility
for Workplace Violence Program

(in percentages, n=3)

Office Yes
Office of the CEO 0
Department of Human Resources or Personnel 100
A Joint Management-Labor Committee 0
Emergency Management Office *
Other city or county unit 0
* Denotes secondary mention of the emergency management office.

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Table 6

Major Components of
Workplace Violence Program (N=3)

Components  N
Worksite Security Analysis to find existing or potential violence hazards 1
Analysis of Personnel Records to identify workplace violence trends 0
Establishment of a Threat Assessment Team, task force, or coordinator to assess vulnerability and to determine appropriate preventive actions 0
An established procedure for workplace violence-related complaints by employees 2
A clearly specified procedure for investigating reports of workplace violence 1
Conflict management and resolution training for supervisors 3
Mandatory employee training in emergency procedures and response 0
An information system for accurately documenting episodes of workplace violence 1
Medical and psychological counseling and debriefing for employees experiencing or witnessing assaults and other violent incidents 2
An explicit statement of high level management concern about workplace violence and commitment to protect the safety and health of workers and customers 0
Clear assignment of responsibilities for various aspects of the workplace violence program and its administration 0
Worker safety and/or health teams 1
"Target-hardening," such as security guards, locks and protective enclosures, and surveillance equipment 1
Post-incident response plans 0
An Employee Assistance Office or Program (EAP) to address problems that might lead to violence 2
Liaison with agencies of other governments (local, state, or federal) to deal with workplace violence concerns 0
A "zero tolerance" of workplace violence policy 3
Provision for regular program evaluation by top management 0
Broad dissemination of information on workplace violence and the city’s or county’s prevention and response policies and programs 0
Coordination with emergency management/disaster response offices and personnel 1
Merger of the workplace violence program with the city or county emergency management and disaster response program 1

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Table 7

Perceived Effectiveness of
Workplace Violence Program

(in percentages, n=4)

  Highly
Effective		 Somewhat
Effective		 Not
Effective		 Don’t
Know
Alleviating employee concern and anxiety about being targets of violence 25 25 0 50
Reducing exposure to known risk factors 0 50 0 50
Reducing actual levels of work- place violence in the city or county government 0 25 0 75

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Table 8

Sources of Danger to Employees

(in percentages, n=22)

Violence By Level of Risk:
  High Medium Low
Coworkers 0 18.1 81.8
Clients and/or customers 0 27.3 72.7
Strangers 0 22.7 77.3
Former employees 0 31.8 68.2
Inmates or patients 4.8 23.8 71.4
Domestic terrorists   0 9.0 90.9
International terrorists 0 4.5 95.4
Intimates or relatives 0 22.7 77.3

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Table 9

Personal Concerns about Workplace Violence

(in percentages, n=23)

Questions % Indicating Yes
Have you personally felt in immediate danger of attack or assault? 8.7
Have you personally been threatened? 30.4
Have you personally been assaulted?  0.0
Have you personally been injured as a result of workplace violence? 0.0
Do you have a personal plan for dealing with threatened or actual violence in your workplace? 60.9
Have you informally discussed with others in your workplace how to handle violent clients, coworkers, or outsiders? 56.5
Has the Oklahoma City federal building bombing increased your interest in and personal concern about workplace violence in your city or county? 76.2
Do you think that similar attacks on public facilities may occur in the next five years? 81.0
Do you think that public employees in the United States are in more danger from workplace violence than private sector employees today? 65.2
Has your jurisdiction received adequate assistance to deal with workplace violence from:

The Federal government?
The State government?

4.5
9.1

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