Stop Workplace Violence —
This PEF Booklet features photos and stories of PEF members injured on the job.
Developed and designed by PEF's Health & Safety and Public Relations
departments.
Faces
worth a thousand words
By DARCY WELLS
As part of PEF’s STOP Workplace Violence Campaign, state lawmakers, district
attorneys, and members of the media are receiving a new booklet that tells the
stories of PEF members who have been punched, kicked and even murdered
on-the-job.
Compelling stories
The 24-page booklet, The Human Face of Workplace Violence, is filled with
graphic photos and details of the pain and suffering victims endured after being
attacked while working in state facilities.
“I was attacked and beaten unconscious,” said PEF registered nurse Diane
Schrader. “I was left with back and neck injuries. I required $100,000 of facial
reconstructive surgery.”
Schrader’s attack happened at Stony Brook University Hospital and left her
permanently disabled. She is one of 10 PEF members who share their stories in
the booklet, and one of thousands of state workers assaulted at work every year.
“This campaign seeks to educate, activate and motivate PEF members as well as
the state Legislature, criminal justice authorities, and the public,” said Pat
Baker, PEF vice president and co-chair of the Stop Workplace Violence campaign
committee. “They have compelling stories that cannot be ignored.”
Mass mailing
The booklet, along with the Stop Workplace Violence DVD and other campaign
materials, is being mailed to policymakers as part of an aggressive program
aimed at getting three bills passed by the state Legislature.
The bills
The Workplace Violence Prevention bill, S.6441/A.9691, requires all public
employers to evaluate their worksites to determine risk factors that may lead to
violence and implement reasonable controls.
The Judi Scanlon bill, S.207/A.2570, mandates safety measures for community
mental health workers, including a requirement for employees to make home visits
in pairs when the client has a serious mental illness.
The Workplace Injury and Disclosure bill, S.6480/A.9692, requires the state
Department of Civil Service to prepare an annual report about workplace injuries
and the cost incurred by the state for those injuries.
Gaining support
The campaign has already gained support from district attorneys across the state
including Erie County DA Frank Clark, Albany County DA David Soares, Schenectady
County DA Bob Carney and Rensselaer County DA Patricia DeAngelis. Soares, Carney
and DeAngelis plan to attend a press conference PEF will hold in Albany on May 8
to release details of the campaign to the media.
The Communicator May 2007
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