Campbell Institute Workshops explore workplace violence and developing training programs

New Orleans — One theme connected two Campbell Institute Workshops conducted concurrently Tuesday during the 2023 NSC Safety Congress & Expo: preparedness.

Separate seminars on addressing workplace violence and building an in-house training program highlighted the importance of developing and polishing a plan.

Kenna Carlsen, research associate at the National Safety Council and a co-presenter during the workplace violence workshop, said the “No. 1 thing that employers can do in terms of response is just to have a plan in place.”

Recommended elements to be addressed include:

• Immediate safety concerns
• Emergency first aid, if needed
• Methods of internal reporting of incidents
• Guidelines for contacting emergency services

Being mindful of the warning signs of workplace violence and keeping open lines of communication throughout the organization is key, Carlsen added. “The biggest thing is just giving employees an avenue to report any behaviors that may be concerning to them and making sure that is continuously communicated from the top down.”

Other attendees learned about how in-house training programs can be customizable to specific organizational needs. In a series of collaborative exercises, they identified areas of training and formed an outline to launch a training program, with the intent to develop knowledge to create a program for their own organization.