By
DEBORAH A. MILESThe American Bar Association recently published a book called “Preventing and Managing Workplace Violence,” a topic that has been paramount in PEF’s Health and Safety Department for years.
Because of PEF’s reputation for being a catalyst in creating safer workplaces, PEF Director of Health and Safety Jonathan Rosen was one of the contributors to the 13-chapter book.
Rosen and PEF health and safety specialist Matt London were asked to contribute due to their initiatives in addressing workplace violence on many levels.
Rosen penned the eighth chapter, “The Role of Public Employee Unions in Addressing Workplace Violence,” and London contributed to the ninth chapter, titled “Responding to the Epidemic of Workplace Violence in Public Sector Health Care and Social Service Workplaces.”
“The American Bar Association’s invitation to Matt and me to author chapters in this book is further testimony to the priority PEF has made to address this important occupational hazard in state workplaces. We are honored to contribute to a national audience,” Rosen said.
The book states the threat of violence is not an abstract concept, and the risk of workplace violence for public employees remains great. It contains legal and strategic guidelines and defines the problems of workplace violence and the different forms it takes. It concentrates on the underlying psychological factors that may prompt violent behavior, potential legal issues, the rights of public employees, and the tools available to employers to avert or reduce the likelihood of an incident.
The book is available at www.abanet.org
