Sample Violence Risk Assessment Checklist - Burnaby Teachers

Sample Violence Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment Checklist
The Staff
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Which staff are most “at risk?”
• Do some groups of workers experience violence more frequently than others
(e.g., female vs. male, inexperienced vs. experienced staff, and special education
teachers)?
Are the staff trained to deal with potentially violent people—students? parents?
intruders?
What is the staff’s perception of their safety?
• Do they feel comfortable expressing concerns about workplace violence?
• Do they feel that they are supported in reporting incidents of violence?
Work Environment/Work Processes
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Where are incidents of violence most likely to occur (parking lot, classroom,
hallway, etc.)?
When are acts of violence most likely to occur?
• What time of the year, month, week, or day?
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What are the characteristics of the work environment?
• Is there appropriate entry access control?
• Is there sufficient lighting in entrances, hallways, and parking lots?
• Is the workplace equipped with adequate alarm systems?
• Are the staff able to visually monitor their surroundings?
• Is there a quiet place available to communicate with or relocate an agitated person?
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What are the characteristics of the work process that might create greater risks?
• Are staff required to work alone? (portables, isolated wings, after school, extracurricular)
• What work situations or events are most likely to precipitate incidents of
violence?

Incidents
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Have incidents of violence actually happened?
If incidents have occurred, consider these questions. In each incident:
• Who was the victim?
• What was the nature of the violence?
• Where? In what location of the building?
• How serious were the various consequences of the injury (e.g., long periods of
absence from work, psychological trauma, poor staff morale, etc.)?
• When (time of day, season)?
• What type of person was the offender (e.g., a parent, a student, an intruder, etc.)?
• Under what circumstances did the incident occur? Was the offender on medication
or under the influence of alcohol? What events led to the occurrence?
Reviewing all the incidents:
• Was there a higher frequency of violent incidents among some groups of staff
than among others?
• How often did acts of violence occur?
• Were the patterns in relation to location, time, circumstances, and types of
offenders?
• Did the reporting system capture the incidents appropriately?
Policies and Procedures
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Are policies and procedures in place?
• Has management stated that it will not tolerate abuse to any employee by any
person?
• Has the school board demonstrated a commitment to strive to prevent violence?
• Do the policies commit to taking corrective actions when acts of violence occur?