Business Controls, Inc. Assists in Development of New Workplace Violence Standard

For more than three years, members of ASIS International and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) worked to develop a joint ASIS/SHRM Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention Standard. Developed according to American National Standard Institute’s (ANSI) rigorous procedures, the new ANSI Standard is aimed at helping organizations implement policies and practices to more quickly identify threatening behavior and violence affecting the workplace, and to engage in effective incident management and resolution. Co-chairing the Standard’s development committee were Business Controls, Inc. (BCI) CEO, Eugene F. Ferraro, CPP, CFE, PCI, SPHR and Michael Crane, Esq. of IPC International.

The new Standard reflects a consensus from professionals in the fields of security, human resources, mental health, law enforcement, and employment law. It serves as an important tool to help organizations evaluate current practices; develop or enhance workplace violence prevention and intervention programs; and effectively manage post-incident issues.

“The new Standard was developed to allow practitioners the ability to determine whether their organization is taking sufficient steps to protect employees from violence and threatening behavior,” said Ferraro. “It also provides employers benchmarks by which they can measure their preparedness and response plans.”

The Standard defines the recommended scope of an organization’s efforts to prevent and manage workplace violence; describes the key stakeholders within an organization who will be responsible for this issue; delineates the components of a workplace violence prevention and intervention program; outlines intervention techniques; and addresses post-incident issues.

The work of preparing ASIS standards and guidelines is carried out through the ASIS International Standards and Guidelines Commission and its committees. As an ANSI accredited Standards Development Organization, ASIS actively participates in the International Organization for Standardization, developing standards and guidelines within a voluntary, nonproprietary and consensus-based process, utilizing the knowledge, experience and expertise of ASIS membership, security professionals and the global security industry. However according to Ferraro, “The Standard’s recommendations are general enough to provide the necessary flexibility organizations will need to implement specific prevention and intervention strategies appropriate for their specific needs an culture.”