Workplace Violence Prevention

Date: January 2007

Policy: Bowdoin College will not tolerate any form of violence in the workplace. Workplace violence may be defined as either physical or verbal aggression and may occur in various forms, including verbal threats and assaults. It is very important that all employees and supervisors are aware of this policy and report directly to Security any or all incidents that they perceive as potentially violent. The appropriate supervisor or department head should also be notified. In an effort to prevent workplace violence at Bowdoin College, all reported threats will be thoroughly investigated through a cooperative effort by the appropriate supervisors, department heads, Human Resources and Security.

Caution and common sense can minimize the risk of workplace violence. All employees should keep in mind the following Personal Safety Tips:

• Never open the door of your office to a stranger before or after regular business hours.
• Notify Security if working exceptionally early or late hours alone.
• When alone, do not mention this fact to telephone callers.
• Build a rapport with other employees to facilitate distinguishing strangers from co-workers.
• Report any strange or threatening looking individuals to Security.
• Make a mental note of suspicious strangers in case a later crisis does occur.

Any employee who engages in any form of workplace violence will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination of employment. Supervisors must document any event or report of workplace violence in their areas and advise Security of the same, even if the threat or situation does not at first seem serious. The report should be thorough and contain as many detailed facts as possible including:

• name of person reporting the incident
• name of the employee alleged to have been violent or threatening
• date of the report and incident
• location where the incident occurred
• name(s) of the potential victims
• name(s) of witnesses
• description of details of the incident
• specific description of verbal or physical violence that occurred
• details that might assist in identification (e.g., license plate number, etc.)