Evaluation of Policies and Procedures to Prevent Worker-on-Worker Violence

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Because of the high financial and personal costs of worker-on-worker violence, businesses need to proactively prevent and respond to potential threats of violence. In order to do so, businesses must have policies and procedures for worker-on-worker violence. The objective of this R21 exploratory proposal is to determine if tabletop scenario exercises adapted from disaster preparedness research can serve as an effective tool to evaluate and improve business's policies and procedures for worker-on-worker violence. A tabletop scenario exercise is a participatory problem-solving session where communication and decision-making processes can be systematically evaluated while a team responds to a simulated threat scenario. Participants can gain experience in applying policies and procedures while evaluation can measure areas of success and failure and identify methods to improve response. The study's specific aims are to: 1) determine if tabletop exercises can be effective tools to train employees in applying written policies and procedures, 2) determine if tabletop exercises can be effective tools to measure how written policies and procedures are implemented, and 3) determine if tabletop exercises can be used to identify gaps in and barriers to implementing written policies and procedures. We will work with the ten Threat Assessment Teams of one of the nation's largest companies, Boeing. Following a critical analysis of Boeing's existing policies and procedures and a review of responses to previous worker-on-worker violent events, we will design new tabletop scenarios that reflect the experiences of Boeing employees. We will then assess will how existing policies are applied by participants during the exercises. Our evaluation will include process, impact, and outcome components to identify how tabletop exercises can be used as a tool for both training and research. Tabletop scenario development and exercise evaluation will be derived from methods used by the Federal Emergency Management System and the Department of Homeland Security. Ultimately, we plan to use this information to propose a randomized study on the implementation and evaluation of worker-on-worker violence prevention policies and procedures in a variety of business types and sizes. The research team brings together national experts on workplace violence prevention practice and research, and collaboration with a major US company. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Because of the high financial and personal costs of worker-on-worker violence, businesses need to proactively prevent and respond to potential threats of violence. The objective of this R21 exploratory proposal is to determine if tabletop scenario exercises adapted from disaster preparedness research can serve as an effective tool to evaluate and improve business's policies and procedures for worker-on-worker violence.