3.15.030 Responsibilities.
County officers or employees shall not commit an unsafe act and/or an act of violence and all officers and employees shall be responsible for reporting any unsafe act and/or act of violence in the workplace, whether or not physical injury occurs. Officers or employees who believe an unsafe act and/or an act of violence has occurred, observe or are informed of such an act, shall immediately notify their supervisor, department director or management representative. Insofar as possible, any report of an unsafe act and/or an act of violence shall include the name of the reporting party; the date, time and place of the act; the name or identity of the person alleged to have committed the act; a description of the act; and the names of any witnesses.
All employees, including managers and supervisors, are responsible for using safe work practices, for following all directives, policies and procedures, and for assisting in maintaining a safe and secure work environment.
A. Employee Responsibilities.
1. Imminent Threat or Act of Violence.
a. Employees shall take the following steps if a threat of violence or act of violence presents an imminent danger to safety:
(1) Immediately leave the area putting as much distance between themselves and the threat as possible.
(2) Tell others to leave as the area is evacuated.
(3) Call 911 and report the threat/emergency as soon as it is safe.
(4) Provide the 911 dispatcher with identification and the nature and location of the threat/emergency.
(5) Follow all directions from law enforcement.
(6) Notify the Pierce County Security Operations Center when safe to do so. The number can be found on the Facilities Department internal website under Security Management/Personal Security. The Security Operations Center number is located under Contact Information.
2. Threat or Unsafe Act.
a. Employees shall take the following steps if a threat or unsafe act does not present an imminent danger to safety:
(1) Notify their supervisor as soon as possible; and
(2) Complete a County incident report form (Risk Incident Report Form) which can be found on the Finance intranet website.
3. Employees who obtain a protective or restraining order which lists County locations as being protected areas or which prohibits contact with the employee while at work, shall immediately advise their supervisor, department director or management representative and provide a copy of the granted order and a description of the person identified in the order.
4. Report concerns about their personal safety or violations of County policy that may impact employee safety to their supervisor, manager or department director.
5. Immediately notify their supervisor, manager or department director if they have reason to believe they may become a victim of an unsafe act and/or an act of violence in the workplace or where verbal threats of physical violence against the employee have been made.
Under no circumstances should employees put themselves at risk in a dangerous situation. Once the situation has been secured by proper authorities, employees shall then cooperate with supervisors, investigators, law enforcement personnel and any others as they conduct follow-up reviews of the incident.
B. Department Directors, Managers and Supervisors' Responsibilities:.
1. Provide this policy and educational opportunities to their employees about workplace safety and violence prevention and make workplace safety and violence prevention training and education programs available to all employees.
2. Immediately notify the Risk Management (798-7462), the Human Resources Department (798-7480) and their appropriate director of any incidents involving unsafe acts and/or acts of violence.
3. Notify the Pierce County Security Operations Center. The number can be found on the Facilities Department internal website under Security Management/Personal Security. The Security Operations Center number is located under Contact Information.
4. Address employee workplace safety concerns and ensure that such concerns are investigated. Safety concerns, and any other situation where an employee has been subjected to or threatened with an unsafe act and/or an act of violence, should be reported to the Human Resources Director or designee.
5. Take immediate steps to diffuse or mitigate any situation that has potential to escalate into an unsafe act and/or an act of violence.
6. Forward a copy of the protective or restraining order to the Human Resources Department.
7. Notify appropriate law enforcement agencies about persons who violate a granted protective or restraining order and require the violator to leave the premises immediately.
C. Human Resources Department Responsibilities:.
1. Promulgate procedures and forms for reporting, assessing and investigating all alleged unsafe acts and/or acts of workplace violence as may be appropriate.
2. Provide or make available appropriate training and education about workplace safety and violence prevention, how to identify potentially unsafe acts and/or violent situations, and how to deal with them.
3. Maintain confidentiality of complaints and concerns to the extent allowed by law.
4. Receive and, in conjunction with the Finance Department, investigate all reports of unsafe acts and/or acts of workplace violence, or threats of the same, made by a County employee.
5. Recommend to the Appointing Authority what, if any, administrative or disciplinary action should be taken when an employee is found to have committed an unsafe act and/or an act of violence.
6. Upon completion of any investigation, notify employees affected by the unsafe act and/or act of violence or threat of the same that the matter has been concluded and that appropriate action has or will be taken.
D. Finance Department Responsibilities:.
1. Receive and, in conjunction with the Human Resources Department, investigate all reports of unsafe acts and/or workplace violence or threats of the same made by a member of the public.
2. Report the results of the investigation to the Human Resources Director, the department director, and appropriate law enforcement or other official.