Workplace bullying is on the rise, yet despite the prevalence of bullying and its damaging impact, organizational responses are spotty, at best, according to Terri Howard, vice president of Corporate Preparedness for the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). “Organizations need better ways to identify bullying and better tools to address the problem,” says Howard.

A recent research study from the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOHS) found 24.5 percent of surveyed companies reported incidents of bullying during the preceding year. In most incidents (55.2 percent) the victim is an employee, although customers (10.5 percent) and supervisors (7 percent) frequently are victims as well. As of 2004, an average of 33,000 employees are assaulted at work and 17 employees are murdered at work each week.

According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding workplace violence prevention, in 2005, “Nearly 5 percent of the 7.1 million private industry business establishments in the United States had an incident of workplace violence within the 12 months prior to completing a new survey on workplace violence prevention. Although about a third of these establishments reported that the incident had a negative impact on their workforce, the great majority of these establishments did not change their workplace violence prevention procedures after the incident; almost 9 percent of these establishments had no program or policy addressing workplace violence."

Bullying is defined as any negative behavior that demonstrates a lack of regard for other workers, including harassment, incivility, teasing, gossiping, purposely withholding business information, overruling decisions without a rationale, sabotaging team efforts, demeaning others and verbal intimidation.

“Managers might ignore incivility in the workplace because they discount their importance as 'personal matters,'" says Howard, “but research has clearly demonstrated that when targets believe someone at work has treated them disrespectfully, half will lose work time worrying about future interactions with the instigator, and half will contemplate changing jobs to avoid a recurrence. Most will tell friends, family and colleagues about how badly they have been treated, and some targets of bullying will leave the company."

To help managers differentiate between ordinary disagreements and bullying, CPI uses five parameters. Actions are:

Ongoing training is a vital element in establishing a culture that builds and sustains a respectful and safe workplace. Often, improving individual competencies such as conflict resolution, negotiation, dealing with difficult people, stress management, listening and coaching can curtail incivility. Expertise developed through such skills can yield additional positive impact in enhanced day-to-day dealings with coworkers and customers, as well as improved performance.

CPI has developed an audit tool to track information immediately and also over time. An audit can help companies organize their policies to promote values and clarify expectations for all employees, by using the categories of respect, service and safety. Promoting a workplace culture that conveys expectations relating to respectful interactions, quality service, and safety can help prevent emergency situations that arise from incivility, aggression and violence. This audit is available at no cost at http://www.preparetraining.com.

According to Howard, behavioral signals can provide awareness regarding someone's intentions. Pay attention to cues that may indicate distress or discontent. Some behavioral signals to consider and explore in preventive efforts may include:

"The members of NBFAA are committed to the fight to save lives from fire-related deaths and believe that, in addition to the firefighting community, there are two major weapons in that fight – detection and suppression,” says NBFAA President George P. Gunning, CEO of USA Alarm Systems. “Sprinklers and smoke detection together cut a person's risk of dying by 82 percent and provide for greater protection of lives, homes and businesses. Two important pieces of legislation that are currently pending in the 110th Congress, H.R. 2882 and H.R.1409, have the potential to save lives. We strongly urge consumers to get behind these bills.”

The College Life Safety and Fire Prevention Act, H.R. 1409, introduced by Rep.Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., and several co-sponsors, would establish a demonstration incentive program within the U.S. Department of Education to promote the professional installation of fire alarm detection systems or other fire prevention technologies in qualified student housing, dormitories, and other university buildings.

H.R. 2882, the "Long-Term Care Life Safety Act," introduced by Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-NY, is designed to establish a grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services to promote professional retrofit installation of fire alarm detection systems and other fire prevention technologies in assisted living facilities, nursing homes and hospice facilities.

"Only automatic and manual fire alarm systems give advance notice to all of the occupants, staff and just as importantly, the fire departments and emergency first responders, explains NBFAA Government Relations Committee Chairman Michael Meridith, president, Security Equipment Inc. “The elderly in these facilities often cannot save themselves, and many times lack the hearing capacity to listen for the shrill beeping of a smoke alarm. Smoke detectors installed on a fire alarm system are UL-listed for commercial use and have audio and visual notification appliances required by the Americans with Disabilities Act for the hearing impaired. It is this advanced warning that accounts for a decline of more than 50 percent in residential fire deaths in the U.S. since the1970's.”

The NBFAA believes that the life safety community must work together to ensure a balanced fire protection system so as not to rely on any one fire prevention technology to protect lives and property. The association approved a white paper this year, "A Balanced Approach to Fire System Design: Alarm & Detection Alongside Suppression," that outlines NBFAA's position. The white paper is available on NBFAA's Web site at http://www.alarm.org.