Keeping Your Employees Safe
Regardless of the type of business you own, holding a job should never mean an employee is in danger from violent customers. Unfortunately, this is not always the case– far too frequently an employee is in the position of facing serious bodily injury or even worse from a customer who is out of control. There are some measures which you can take in advance to protect your employees.
One absolutely essential factor in promoting the safety of your employees is for them to have consistent emergency access readily available at all times. While something as basic as an easily-accessible 911 phone line is standard in many companies, many others do not have it. In the interest of their lives and safety, this should be available to all employees when they are in the workplace.
A standard video camera is also necessary. In addition to capturing any kind of violent or aggressive activity on camera as evidence for the police, the prominent display of a video camera is enough to deter many individuals from committing such actions in the first place.
In virtually any kind of job, but especially one in which violent or aggressive customers is a common problem, it is a good idea to address this issue as a standard part of the employees’ job training. Although violence from a disgruntled customer can occur in nearly any employment situation, some workplaces, such as all-night convenience stores for example, often have this problem on a regular basis. It is in your employees’ best interests for them to not only be aware of this problem in advance, but to know how to deal with it if it does occur while they are on the job.
There are two main factors in promoting your employees’ safety: being aware that a serious problem could occur, and knowing what to do if something does happen. While being in the workplace should not mean the employee should be in a state of fear, many injuries and fatalities occur in the workplace because the employee was caught off-guard. He should be advised to keep his eyes and ears open– to not allow for too many distractions– so that he will be aware of what is going on around him, as well as focusing on his work. In addition, he should be advised as to how to handle a crisis of violence if one does occur. As no method is completely foolproof in every single instance, he should have as many options as possible to protect himself.
Many employees also need to be made aware that they do not have to tolerate aggressive or violent behavior from their customers. Even though this may sound obvious, some, especially young people and women, tolerate inappropriate behavior simply because they do not know that they shouldn’t. Prior to beginning work, it should be made clear to them what is acceptable behavior from a customer and what is not.
It is in the best interest of both your company and your employees for them to be safe when they are on the job. Some advance planning will help to minimize their risks from potentially-violent customers.
