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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWorkforce Violence Prevention PlanRESOLUTION 2013-193 ADOPTED DOC ID: 8613 THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION NO. 2013-193 WAS ADOPTED AT THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD ON FEBRUARY 26, 2013: RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Southold hereby amends paragraph 5 of the Town of Southold Workplace Violence Policy Statement to restate procedures concerning who may conduct the required confidential investigations depending on the circumstances presented. Elizabeth A. Neville Southold Town Clerk RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: James Dinizio Jr, William Ruland SECONDER: Louisa P. Evans, Justice AYES: Dinizio Jr, Ruland, Doherty, Talbot, Evans, Russell ./~_~ RESOLUTION 2012-545 k~d~'~ ADOPTED DOC ID: 7980 THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION NO. 2012-545 WAS ADOPTED AT THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD ON JULY 3, 2012: WHEREAS, the Town of Southold employs over 200 employees and is one of the largest employers in the Town; and WHEREAS, the Town of Soutbold is committed to protecting and enhancing the safety of all its employees; and WHEREAS, it is the goal of the Town to provide a workplace environment that reduces and/or minimizes all incidents associated with violence in the workplace; and WHEREAS, the Town of Southold adopted the Town of Southold Workforce Violence Prevention Plan by resolution on January 29, 2009 and most recently amended on June 15, 2010; and WHEREAS, the Town of Southold continually assesses additional policies and procedures to further protect employees who work for the Town of Southold and formally incorporates such additional policies and procedures into its Workplace Violence Program. NOW, THEREFORE, be it RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Southold hereby adopts the amended Workplace Violence Policy Statement and the Amendments to the Town of Southold Workforce Violence Prevention Plan to supplement and improve the Program presently in place. Elizabeth A. Neville Southold Town Clerk RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Christopher Talbot, Councilman SECONDER: Louisa P. Evans, Justice AYES: Ruland, Talbot, Doherty, Krupski Jr., Evans, Russell TOWN OF SOUTHOLD WORKPLACE VIOLENCE POLICY STATEMENT The Town of Southold employs over 200 employees and is one of the largest employers in the Town. The Town of Southold is committed to protecting and enhancing the safety of all of its employees and supports zero tolerance of violence in the workplace. As an employer of many employees, it is the goal of the Town to provide a workplace environment that reduces and/or minimizes all incidences associated with violence in the workplace. This will be accomplished through the implementation of prevention and remediation systems (as set forth in the Workplace Violence Prevention Plan) to further protect employees who work for the Town of Southold. 4. 5. 6. Enforcement of the Town of Southold's Zero Tolerance Policy on Acts of Workplace Violence. Town Employees are the eyes and ears of the Town and will be relied upon to report incidents of workplace violence: If you feel threatened, report it. If you see an altercation, report it. If you hearverbal abuse or bullying, report it. Fill out an Incident Report and deliver to the Town Attorney's Office or Special Projects Coordinator. Document details, description, and history on Incident Report. Confidential investigation will be conducted by the Town Attorney or Special Projects Coordinator and not by the Employee's immediate supervisor. Investigation must conclude with an Investigation Report and Recommendations, such as: Police involvement Increased safety measures Staffing considerations Mediation/Counseling Disciplinary Proceedings Not Workplace Violence The Workplace Violence Program was created with the participation of the authorized employee representative designated by the CSEA and PBA membership. Participation of the authorized employee representative included a physical inspection of Town Facilities, participation in the annual review and the creation of the written program. Workforce Violence Prevention Plan Adopted by Town Board January 29, 2008 Amended June 15, 2010 Amended July 3, 2012 Introduction: As one of the largest employers within the Town of Southold, the Town is committed to ensuring the safety of its employees. In May of 2001 the Town adopted a Statement of Management Safety Policy that affirms, "The personal safety and welfare of our employees, as well as the general public, is a primary and continuing concern of the Town of Southold". More recently, the New York State Department of Labor mandates the protection of municipal employees through the development and implementation of the Workforce Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). The Workplace Violence Program was created with the participation of the authorized employee representative designated by the CSEA and PBA membership. Participation of the authorized employee representative included a physical inspection of Town Facilities, participation in the annual review and the creation of the written program. (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) Definition: The National Institute for Occupational Safety defines workplace violence as "violent acts (including physical assaults and threats of assaults) directed towards persons at work or on duty". Workplace violence consists of physical assaults, threatening behavior or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting, which includes face-to-face interaction as well as telephone and/or email communication. Overview: There are alarming statistics to support the necessity of developing a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan: · One out of every six crimes committed in the United States occurs in the workplace · Annually, almost one million employees become a victim of workplace violence · Homicide is the leading cause of death in the workplace Processes to Support the Development of a Workforce Violence Prevention Plan: The Town Attorney's office and Special Projects Coordinator were appointed by the Supervisor to assume the lead in the development of the WVPP. Additionally, the CSEA and PBA have designated Thomas Skabry, CSEA Union President, Timothy Abrams, CSEA Union Vice President, and Joseph Wysocki, PBA Union President, respectively, as the authorized employee representative for each unit to participate in program development. (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) In protecting the safety of employees of the Town of Southold, consideration of the following elements was taken into account for developing surveys and performing site visits: · Public access · Lighting · Handling of money · Level of interface with the public · Type of interface (dealing with potential hostility-permits, etc.) · Knowledge of domestic violence The following tasks were accomplished leading to the creation of a formal written document for review by the Town Board: · Convened a taskforce of several Department Heads (Police, Highway, Transfer Station, Public Works, Human Resource Center, Town Clerk and Accounting) to assist with the development of a WVPP · Issued surveys to staff and Department Heads to assess potential violence in the workplace Taskforce members and the designated authorized employee representative visited workforce sites to review work areas for a risk evaluation that provided observations and recommendations to enhance safety (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) · Occupational injuries and illness logs were reviewed to identify any possible incidents of workforce violence or patterns in specific worksite settings. While the review did not indicate any such reported incidents or patterns, this does not preclude the existence of areas of risk and/or unreported events. · Workplace Violence Prevention training was provided to Department Heads and their designees on October 25, 2007 by the New York State Municipal Worker's Compensation Alliance and annually thereafter. (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) · Development of a Workplace Violence Incident Report and Workforce Violence Investigation Report 2 All of the aforementioned tasks comply with the legal requirements of public employers performing a risk evaluation of the workplace. Findin,qs from Processes for Development of WVPP: Additionally, the Executive Safety Committee disseminates surveys to ascertain employee perceptions of safety. Concerns are addressed and reviewed by the Committee. (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) In addition, the Executive Safety Committee and the authorized employee representative site visits tailored observations from survey responses. (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) All of this information provided the foundation for the development of a hazard control/prevention plan to enhance the safety for Town employees. The findings from this report have been further articulated as recommendations to the Town Board, as noted below. Workplace Violence Prevention Plan: The Town shall implement the Plan by addressing the following elements to ensure that employees of the Town of Southold work in an environment that is conducive to their safety. They are as follows: · Development of a policy statement that supports zero tolerance of violence in the workplace. · Evaluation and monitoring of work areas to assess and enhance workplace safety. · Development of control measures to mitigate the potential of workplace violence · Development and implementation of on-going training education · Recordkeeping and incident reporting of workforce violence incidents including investigation and follow-up THE WRITTEN PLAN Policy Statement: The Town of Southold employs over 200 employees and is one of the largest employers in the Town. The Town of Southold is committed to protecting and enhancing the safety of all of its employees. As an employer of many employees, it is the goal of the Town to provide a workplace environment that reduces and/or minimizes all incidences associated with violence in the workplace. This will be accomplished through the implementation of prevention and remediation systems (the content of the Workplace Violence Prevention Plan) to further protect employees who work for the Town of Southold. 3 To that end, the Town Board hereby adopts a resolution on January 29, 2008, recognizing the importance of preventing and addressing violence in the workplace, known as the Town of Southold Workforce Violence Prevention Plan. Training and Education: All Town staff will receive training regarding minimizing violence in the workplace. To minimize costs and enhance efficiency, a "train the trainer model" will be developed that provides a cadre of trained staff to provide additional training. The Town's Workers Compensation Plan staff provided training on October 25th to all Department Heads and designated staff. In 2008, training will be mandated for all Town employees annually and will be provided monthly for new employees, Department heads will be required to keep records of staff compliance with training (annual training and new hire training). Hazard Control and Prevention Measures-Recommendations: Based on the findings and recommendations of the workplace risk assessments by Taskforce members, responses of staff surveys and the review of incident logs, the following prevention measures are recommended for implementation, listed per site: Townwide Mandatory training and education for all staff. Training highlights the importance of recognizing and understanding workforce violence, reporting workforce violence and preventing workforce violence. Signage at all work areas that "The Town of Southold has zero tolerance towards workplace violence. Workplace violence consists of physical assaults, threatening behavior or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting, which includes face-to-face interaction as well as telephone and/or email communication". Justice Court The placement of Justice Court in Town Hall presents many potential hazards to workplace (and public) safety. In the long term, the facility needs to be segregated which can be accomplished through long term leasing of a site or the construction of a new site. Until this is accomplished, the following short-term recommendations warrant consideration: · Presence of an additional Peace Officer · Installation of a security screening device before entering Town Hall meeting area that would be manned by the additional Peace Officer · Rather than have everyone appear at once for their hearing, stagger names and times to reduce population · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Acceptance of credit cards 4 Lock doors to office as well as lock doors to parking lot Department of Public Works and Police Department should verify that panic buttons work and monitor monthly. Tax Receiver · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Acceptance of credit cards Town Clerk · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Acceptance of credit cards · Lock door next to counter to prevent public access Records Management · Lock door from hall to basement · Consider relocating files in basement at off-site storage facility · Safety committee should observe conditions in the basement and make recommendations Tax Assessors Lock doors with potential public access Recreation Center · Install panic button in office, in the event of unwelcome intruder while one is working alone in the building and/or work in office with door locked. · Develop policy and procedures with checklist to ensure safety of building while Town staff is not on site to assume responsibility. This checklist could include review of elements such as: o Windows locked o Doors locked o Key returned to Police Dept · Repair broken door (southeast wall) · Ensure that all windows have locks and are locked at building closing · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department specific to Recreation Center and recreation programs (beach attendants) · Acceptance of credit cards Police Ensure that prisoners are segregated from personnel who are not Police officers 5 · Improve outside lighting and install surveillance cameras to monitor activities outside of building · Post visible floor/evacuation plans · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Acceptance of credit cards · To the Extent that Police Department personnel have contact with prisoners, the following protocol should be followed: Southold Town Police Operations Manuel procedure no. PR-9, entitled "Detention of Prisoners," which describes departmental procedure for the protection and safety of Department personnel and prisoners (Amended 6/15/2010 by Town Board Resolution No. 2010-437) Human Resource Center/Katinka House Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department Consider installation of video surveillance in the area behind and adjacent to Katinka House. Inform Police Department to check this area and secure the area at the end of each business day. (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) HkThwav · Repair front door alarm in the vestibule of the office area (door off Peconic Lane) or install convex mirror on Northwest corner of vestibule area to improve visibility of secretary area (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) · Ensure panic alarms in Secretary area are functioning properly (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) Transfer Station · Repair video tape recorder near scale to monitor interactions with the public. · A partition or separate room with locked door should be used for counting money. · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Install panic button in the office · Install "Zero Tolerance" sign under window of scale house where payments are made and by the booth adjacent to the yellow bag machine (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) Town Attorney Install half-door with lock to limit access Install panic button in office 6 Install convex mirror in hallway leading to Town Attorney's office to improve visibility (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012- 545) Accounting · Install half-door with lock to limit access · Install panic button Town Historian · Install convex mirror above door to the Historian's office to improve visibility (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) Planning Install convex mirror to improve visibility of reception area Secure fire escape without compromising safety in the event of an emergency · Install panic button Board of Trustees Install half-door with lock to limit access Install panic button Buildin,q Install convex mirror to improve visibility of reception area Install panic button Other · Improve lighting in parking lot at Town Hall and Annex (northern section where employees park) · When installed, panic alarms should be checked every three months by Department of Public Works and Police to ensure that they are working · Install an "employees only" sign on the east door leading to the basement and a sign reminding employees to "please keep door shut" (Amended 7/3/12 by Town Board Resolution No. 2012-545) Report prepared by: Phillip Beltz, Special Projects Coordinator Kieran Corcoran, Assistant Town Attorney Jennifer Andaloro, Assistant Town Attorney (6/15/2010 Amendment) Town of Southold Executive Safety Committee Members: · James Bunchuck, Solid Waste Coordinator, · Martin Flatley, Chief of Police · John Cushman, Comptroller · Martin Finnegan, Town Attorney 7 · Pete Harris, Superintendent of Highways · Jim McMahon, Director, Department of Public Works · Karen McLaughlin, Director of Human Services · Elizabeth Neville, Town Clerk 8 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD WORKPLACE VIOLENCE POLICY STATEMENT The Town of Southold employs over 200 employees and is one of the largest employers in the Town. The Town of Southold is committed to protecting and enhancing the safety of all of its employees and supports zero tolerance of violence in the workplace. As an employer of many employees, it is the goal of the Town to provide a workplace environment that reduces and/or minimizes all incidences associated with violence in the workplace. This will be accomplished through the implementation of prevention and remediation systems (as set forth in the Workplace Violence Prevention Plan) to further protect employees who work for the Town of Southold. 4. 5. 6. Enforcement of the Town of Southold's Zero Tolerance Policy on Acts of Workplace Violence. Town Employees are the eyes and ears of the Town and will be relied upon to report incidents of workplace violence: If you fee/threatened, report it. If you see an altercation, report it. If you hearverbal abuse or bullying, report it. Fill out an Incident Report and deliver to the Town Attorney's Office or Special Projects Coordinator. Document details, description, and history on Incident Report. Confidential investigation will be conducted by the Town Attorney or Special Projects Coordinator and not by the Employee's immediate supervisor. Investigation must conclude with an Investigation Report and Recommendations, such as: Police involvement Increased safety measures Staffing considerations Mediation/Counseling Disciplinary Proceedings Not Workplace Violence The Workplace Violence Program was created with the participation of the authorized employee representative designated by the CSEA and PBA membership. Participation of the authorized employee representative included a physical inspection of Town Facilities, participation in the annual review and the creation of the written program. Workforce Violence Prevention Plan Adopted by Town Board January 29, 2008 Introduction: As one of the largest employers within the Town of Southold, the Town is committed to ensuring the safety of its employees. In May of 2001 the Town adopted a Statement of Management Safety Policy that affirms, "The personal safety and welfare of our employees, as well as the general public, is a pdmary and continuing concern of the Town of Southold". More recently, the New York State Department of Labor mandates the protection of municipal employees through the development and implementation of the Workforce Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). Definition: The National Institute for Occupational Safety defines workplace violence as "violent acts (including physical assaults and threats of assaults) directed towards persons at work or on duty". Workplace violence consists of physical assaults, threatening behavior or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting, which includes face-to-face interaction as well as telephone and/or email communication. Overview: There are alarming statistics to support the necessity of developing a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan: · One out of every six crimes committed in the United States occurs in the workplace · Annually, almost one million employees become a victim of workplace violence · Homicide is the leading cause of death in the workplace Processes to Support the Development of a Workforce Violence Prevention Plan: The Town Attorney's office and Special Projects Coordinator were appointed by the Supervisor to assume the lead in the development of the VVVPP. In protecting the safety of employees of the Town of Southold, consideration of the following elements was taken into account for developing surveys and performing site visits: · Public access · Lighting · Handling of money · Level of interface with the public · Type of interface (dealing with potential hostility-permits, etc.) · Knowledge of domestic violence The following tasks were accomplished leading to the creation of a formal written document for review by the Town Board: · Convened a taskforce of several Department Heads (Police, Highway, Transfer Station, Public Works, Human Resource Center, Town Clerk and Accounting) to assist with the development of a WVPP · Issued surveys to staff and Department Heads to assess potential violence in the workplace · Taskforce members visited workforce sites to review work areas for a risk evaluation that provided observations and recommendations to enhance safety (see attached reports) · Occupational injuries and illness logs were reviewed to identify any possible incidents of workforce violence or patterns in specific worksite settings. While the review did not indicate any such reported incidents or pattems, this does not preclude the existence of areas of risk and/or unreported events. · Workplace Violence Prevention training was provided to Department Heads and their designees on October 25, 2007 by the New York State Municipal Worker's Compensation Alliance · Development of a Workplace Violence Incident Report and Workforce Violence Investigation Report All of the aforementioned tasks comply with the legal requirements of public employers performing a risk evaluation of the workplace. Findinqs from Processes for Development of WVPP: Staff responses (98) from surveys are within the appendices of this document. This data provided significant information to develop hazard control and prevention measures. In addition, the Workplace Violence Implementation Taskforce site visits tailored observations from survey responses. All of this information provided the foundation for the development of a hazard control/prevention plan to enhance the safety for Town employees. The findings from this report have been further articulated as recommendations to the Town Board, as noted below. Workplace Violence Prevention Plan: The Town shall implement the Plan by addressing the following elements to ensure that employees of the Town of Southold work in an environment that is conducive to their safety. They are as follows: · Development of a policy statement that supports zero tolerance of violence in the workplace. · Evaluation and monitoring of work areas to assess and enhance workplace safety. · Development of control measures to mitigate the potential of workplace violence · Development and implementation of on-going training education · Recordkeeping and incident reporting of workforce violence incidents including investigation and follow-up THE WRITTEN PLAN Policy Statement: The Town of Southold employs over 200 employees and is one of the largest employers in the Town. The Town of Southoid is committed to protecting and enhancing the safety of all of its employees. As an employer of many employees, it is the goal of the Town to provide a workplace environment that reduces and/or minimizes all incidences associated with violence in the workplace. This will be accomplished through the implementation of prevention and remediation systems (the content of the Workplace Violence Prevention Plan) to further protect employees who work for the Town of Southold. To that end, the Town Board hereby adopts a resolution on January 29, 2008, recognizing the importance of preventing and addressing violence in the workplace, known as the 2008 Town of Southold Workforce Violence Prevention Plan. TraininR and Education: All Town staff will receive training regarding minimizing violence in the workplace. To minimize costs and enhance efficiency, a "train the trainer model" will be developed that provides a cadre of trained staff to provide additional training. The Town's Workers Compensation Plan staff provided training on October 25th to all Department Heads and designated staff. In 2008, training will be mandated for all Town employees annually and will be provided monthly for new employees, Department heads will be required to keep records of staff compliance with training (annual training and new hire training). Hazard Control and Prevention Measures-Recommendations: 3 Based on the findings and recommendations of the workplace risk assessments by Taskforce members, responses of staff surveys and the review of incident logs, the following prevention measures are recommended for implementation, listed per site: Townwide Mandatory training and education for all staff. Training highlights the importance of recognizing and understanding workforce violence, reporting workforce violence and preventing workforce violence. Signage at all work areas that "The Town of Southold has zero tolerance towards workplace violence. Workplace violence consists of physical assaults, threatening behavior or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting, which includes face-to-face interaction as well as telephone and/or email communication". Justice Court The placement of Justice Court in Town Hall presents many potential hazards to workplace (and public) safety. In the long term, the facility needs to be segregated which can be accomplished through long term leasing of a site or the construction of a new site. Until this is accomplished, the following short-term recommendations warrant consideration: Presence of an additional Peace Officer Installation of a security screening device before entering Town Hall meeting area that would be manned by the additional Peace Officer · Rather than have everyone appear at once for their hearing, stagger names and times to reduce population · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Acceptance of credit cards · Lock doors to office as well as lock doors to parking lot · Department of Public Works and Police Department should verify that panic buttons work and monitor monthly. Tax Receiver · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Acceptance of credit cards Town Clerk · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Acceptance of credit cards · Lock door next to counter to prevent public access Records Manaqement · Lock door from hall to basement · Consider relocating files in basement at off-site storage facility · Safety committee should observe conditions in the basement and make recommendations Tax Assessors Lock doors with potential public access Recreation Center · Install panic button in office, in the event of unwelcome intruder while one is working alone in the building and/or work in office with door locked. · Develop policy and procedures with checklist to ensure safety of building while Town staff is not on site to assume responsibility. This checklist could include review of elements such as: o Windows locked o Doors locked o Key returned to Police Dept · Repair broken door (southeast wall) · Ensure that all windows have locks and are locked at building closing · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department specific to Recreation Center and recreation programs (beach attendants) · Acceptance of credit cards Police · Ensure that prisoners are segregated from personnel who are not Police officers · Improve outside lighting and install surveillance cameras to monitor activities outside of building · Post visible floor/evacuation plans · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Acceptance of credit cards Human Resource Center/Katinka House Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department Hiqhwa¥ Solicit additional employee surveys on workplace violence (only one form submitted for the department). Transfer Station · Repair video tape recorder near scale to monitor interactions with the public. · A partition or separate room with locked door should be used for counting money. · Development and implementation of cash management procedures by Accounting Department · Install panic button in the office Town Attorney Install half-door with lock to limit access Install panic button in office Accountina Install half-door with lock to limit access Install panic button Planning · Install convex mirror to improve visibility of reception area · Secure fire escape without compromising safety in the event of an emergency · Install panic button Board of Trustees Install half-door with lock to limit access Install panic button Buildinq Install convex mirror to improve visibility of reception area Install panic button O~her Improve lighting in perking lot at Town Hall and Annex (northern section where employees park} When installed, panic alarms should be checked every three months by Department of Public Works and Police to ensure that they are working Report prepared by: Phillip Beltz, Special Projects Coordinator Kieran Corcoran, Assistant Town Attorney Town of Southold Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Taskforce Members: James Bunchuck, Solid Waste Coordinator, Carlisle Cochran, Chief of Police · John Cushman, Comptroller · Patricia Finnegan, Town Attorney · Pete Hards, Superintendent of Highways · Jim McMahon, Director, Department of Public Works · Karen McLaughlin, Director of Human Services · Elizabeth Neville, Town Clerk Prevention Plan Final.doc