Strategies to Prevent Type 2, Invitee, Workplace Violence.

A 28-year-old San Diego area dentist was gunned down at his dental practice this past Thursday. Two employees at the practice received non-life threatening gunshot wounds during this workplace violence incident.

The killer has been described as a “disgruntled ex-customer”. 

This shooting personifies the challenges in preventing  type 2 (“invitee”) workplace violence.

California’s new workplace violence prevention law, which goes into effect on July 1, 2024, defines “Type 2 violence,” as, “workplace violence directed at employees by customers, clients, patients, students, inmates, or visitors.”

In my previous piece I discussed why preventing type-2 (“invitee”) workplace violence can be a challenge for employers. And as a result, California employers must include strategies for preventing invitee workplace violence in their required workplace violence prevention plans.

In this follow-up piece, I provide some strategies for preventing physical harm from invitee workplace to overcome the challenges presented by these sources of violence.

I've put together a handy workplace violence prevention checklist to help CA employers start developing a workplace violence prevention plan that keeps employers safer and complies with California’s new law.    

Type-2 (“Invitee”) Workplace Violence Prevention Strategies

 Invitee workplace violence often driven by a belief that those who have been trusted by the invitee to help them, have in some way failed the invitee or his family. This belief is sometimes rooted in reality, and sometimes not. 

•  Address disputes as soon as they arise. No one is perfect. No service is perfect. Negative outcomes can and do happen. So when it comes to invitee workplace violence, addressing any disputes, or sense of anger, as soon as it surfaces is critical. Do not allow it to simmer. 
•  Situational awareness. Training in situational awareness and implementing that training allows employees to recognize a potentially dangerous situation and avoid it before it becomes violent. Early warning = options = safety. Recognizing an invitee approaching employees or your workplace in a way that indicates rage or potential violence before it turns violent allows your employees time to develop a plan to be safe.
•  De-escalation. Training in de-escalation techniques, and implementing that training allows employees to calm the situation with an invitee before it can spiral into violence. Employees should be able to recognize when there’s a chance to calm a person, and when that may not work.
•  Communication strategies. Developing communication strategies, particularly for employees who work out in waiting areas, front desk areas, and customer service, to request assistance from others, who can then help address the issue. These plans require developing a communication method, and identifying who should be notified, and ways they can help to prevent the situation from turning violent.
•  Interior layout adjustments. Preventing employees from being trapped by an invitee is critical to avoiding physical harm. Whether it’s medical staff meeting with a patient in an exam room, or meeting with a client in a conference room, the room should be laid out so that the invitee is never situated between an employee and a room exit. Lines of sight and sound, that allow others to see, or hear an issue developing allows others to come to an employee’s aid before the situation progresses to violence.
•  The buddy system. There is safety in numbers. An invitee meeting with two or more employees at the same time is less likely to launch an attack than while working with just one person. A prevention plan should ID times how and when an employees should paired up to work with an invitee, and how to determine who should be partnered together.
•  Self-defense. There are times when violence by an invitee starts regardless of any other approaches tried. Employees being able to defend themselves, and others, can mean the difference between life and death. A prevention plan should include self-defense training should be included among strategies for preventing type 2 workplace violence from causing physical harm.

No workplace violence prevention plan or program can fully anticipate every workplace violence incident. But, especially when it comes to type 2, invitee, workplace violence employers can anticipate where safety hazards originate, and can implement strategies to help employees avoid physical harm.

Looking for a good place to start developing your required workplace violence prevention plan. Download my free CA workplace violence prevention checklist.  

 Employers have a lot to get done to comply with California’s new workplace violence prevention law. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss where you are at in the process and ways to develop, implement, and maintain a workplace violence prevention plan and program.  

Mike Corwin helps employers develop, implement, and maintain a workplace violence prevention plan that keeps employees safer, and complies with California’s new workplace violence prevention requirements.