Unit W5: Promote a safe and positive working
environment
Overview
This unit is for you:
if you are responsible for promoting a positive working environment where workers feel
safe from violence
This unit is about:
the skills and knowledge required to plan how to improve the culture at work by reviewing the
current level of understanding on violence at work. It is also about producing plans to promote
a safe and positive working environment, and providing opportunities for discussion and
communication about violence at work.
This unit has two elements:
Element 5.1 Develop plans to promote a safe and positive working
environment
This element is about identifying current understanding of preventing violence at
work, planning what materials and resources may be necessary to effect a culture
change.
Element 5.2 Implement plans to promote a safe and positive working
environment
This element is about communicating information on violence at work, giving
advice, agreeing ways of discussing issues about violence at work and reviewing
the success of these plans.
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Unit W5: Promote a safe and positive working
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Key Words and Phrases used in this Unit
KEY WORD
DEFINITION
Communication
Equipment
These could include equipment such as pagers, mobile phones,
walkie-talkies, panic buttons, public address systems, etc,
Positive working
environment
A working environment which does not tolerate any violent behaviour.
Precautionary
measures
These could include: protective barriers, protective clothing, security
responses, working in pairs or as part of a team instead of lone
working, etc,
Relevant
persons
A person named in the organisation‘s procedures as having
responsibility for dealing with reports and incidents of violence at work.
Risk
The likelihood that the worker will be subjected to violence at work
Support
This may be listening, monitoring situations, offering advice and
practical help or seeking further assistance if necessary.
Triggers of
violence
Triggers of violence are factors that might prompt violence occurring.
They can be categorised in four different types :
™ temporary personal factors – for example, the service-user
(see below) being uncomfortable from a lack of food, warmth,
light, or presenting challenging behaviour whilst under the
influence of drink or drugs, or
™ persistent personal factors such as having a difficulty or
disability which prevents normal communication, movement or
behaviour, or
™ temporary environmental factors such as a hot, noisy, crowded
room, poor work dynamics in terms of furniture layout, etc, or
™ persistent environmental factors such as too much being
expected of the service-user or that the quality of the service
consistently does not meet the required standards of the user
Violence
Violence is manifested as incidents where persons are abused,
threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work,
involving an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, well-being or
health.
This definition is taken to include verbal abuse or threat, threatening
behaviour, any assault (and any apprehension of unlawful violence),
and serious or persistent harassment, for any reason, and extends
from what may seem to be minor incidents to serious assault and
murder, and threats against the worker and/or their family.
Workers:
© 2001, ENTO
Everyone who works; i.e. those who work on a full time, part time,
casual, long term or temporary contract or volunteer basis
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Unit W5: Promote a safe and positive working
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Element 5.1:
environment
Develop plans to promote a safe and positive working
Performance Criteria
You must be able to do the following:
1.
gather feedback from all workers and relevant people on their concerns and their experience
of violence at work and document their recommendations
2.
identify the current level of understanding and response to the organisation’s policy and
procedures on preventing and managing violence at work
3.
seek information on workers’ understanding of the communication equipment and
precautionary measures available in the organisation
4.
identify where improvements and changes may be necessary using all current sources of
information available
5.
produce a plan which is based on your findings about the working environment and its impact
on violence in the workplace
6.
ensure your plan includes recommendations about resources which are necessary to help
reduce incidents of violence and improve the working environment
7.
review the risk assessment and record your findings
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Unit W5: Promote a safe and positive working
environment
Element 5.2:
environment
Implement plans to promote a safe and positive working
Performance Criteria
You must be able to do the following:
1.
communicate regularly with all workers about the importance of being alert to the presence of
risks of violence at work
2.
ensure that information and support on managing and reducing violence at work is readily
available for all workers
3.
provide opportunities for workers to review the risk assessments at appropriate times in their
work
4.
ensure resources are available to help reduce incidents of violence and improve the working
environment
5.
set up and monitor appropriate mechanisms for the discussion of workplace violence
6.
develop and encourage the use of a comments, compliments and complaints procedure.
7.
ensure the organisation’s policy on violence at work is communicated to other people besides
those who work there using appropriate methods
8.
review the implementation of your plans on a regular basis
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Unit W5: Promote a safe and positive working
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Essential Knowledge and Understanding for this Unit:
You must know and understand:
NOTE: details of specific relevant legislation and regulations relevant to the different countries of
the UK are available as a separate document on this CDROM.
a)
your legal duties for ensuring the well-being, safety and health in the workplace as required
by relevant legislation pertaining to health and safety at work
b)
your duties as defined by other specific legislation covering your job role including those
relating to the management of health and safety at work, reporting injuries, diseases,
dangerous occurrences, employment rights, human rights, disability and data protection
c)
the job roles and responsibilities of all the workers for whom you are responsible including
those who are at most risk and have a responsibility for the organisation’s security
d)
the importance of keeping people regularly informed and involving them in discussions about
violence at work – for all types and categories including verbal abuse by fellow workers
e)
available sources of information on violence at work and the appropriate support and advice
f)
the importance of communications and reminding everyone to remain alert to the presence of
triggers of violence in the workplace
g)
the impact of the working environment and the affect of any changes made on workers and
service-users
h)
the importance of providing opportunities for workers to discuss work-related violence and
any aspects of their working environment which could be improved
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