Violence, Workplace Bullying and Stress – All in a Day’s Work for a Teacher
Management of Workplace Aggression and Violence – ZERO tolerance
Most schools are very well aware of their duty of care towards students; they tend to be less conscious of their duty of care towards their employees, volunteers, contractors (and in the WHS harmonised jurisdictions’ definition of “workers”) to sub-contractors and their employees.
Principals and school staff face an ever growing social risk with abusive, aggressive and/or violent behaviour risks.
Private Education and State Schools utilise the GPS Geo Guard dynamic risk mitigation and have implemented the GPS Geo Guard Personal Emergency Devices as part of their safety protocols and policies for Teachers, Principals, Administration and Grounds Staff, and maintenance workforce counseling to enhance safety to SOS or red alert alarm with live audio and recording for the fastest response with evidence based live and recorded audio. GPS Geo Guard uses Propriety Technology to give the most accurate internal positioning in a large complex like schools for on-site security staff and Police to attend the incident in a timely manner to the correct area.
Main risks in Private or Public School/Education Sector
Education workers face two main risk profiles:
Social Risk
Being that of work place violence and aggressive behavior; physical or verbal assault
Physical Risk
Slip/trip/fall/person down or incapacity, unconsciousness, accident or incident, or even a medical situation
WHY EVERYONE IS CHOOSING GPS GEO GUARD
Teachers, after school care, grounds staffs – all education department workers should be treated with dignity and respect.
We may know the risk profile of our client, but not who is going to be there at the same time as your time of visit or what may occur at the job environment.
Implementing the GPS Geo Guard Personal Safety Solution can deliver safety benefits to the education department workers, and also help department managers and the wider organisation deliver genuine value to the employer in terms of safety, quicker emergency response, operational and increasing staff moral knowing they have something just in case.
Dealing with complex individual or group behaviour
After hours detention
Verbal or written threats
Emergency after hours work
Lone wolf attacks of retaliation in public
Benefits of using Gps Geo Guard Solution in all Public and Private Education departments and sectors
Helping customers to:
Give 100% peace of mind to mobile workforce staff and lone or high-risk workers with 24/7 instant Emergency Alarm Monitoring and support, with the GPS Geo Guard discreet personal safety devices
Document verbal abuse with live and recorded audio to stop the “he said, she said” situation and verbal assault; best practice for internal discipline or escalation to Police
Deliver protection against person down, slips/trips/falls, incapacitation, or medical emergency incident
Get instant continuous up to date location information to assist better coordination across mobile teams and reallocation of workforce
Deliver up to date live reporting to key stakeholders on GPS Geo Guard Device and solution usage, for 100% user uptake and better business or organisation’s continuity
Greater visibility and enhanced safety protocols and procedures around the use of the GPS Geo Guard of any mobile workforce
Creating a positive Safety Culture and encouraging your workforce to report incidents, and document them effectively enhancing faster responses and better outcomes.
Violence and aggression
Verbal and emotional abuse of threats and physical attack to an individual or to property by another individual or group. The impact of violence on a victim depends on the severity of the violence, their own experiences, skills and personality. Violent acts include:
• verbal abuse, in person or over the telephone
• written abuse
• harassment
• threats
• ganging up, bullying and intimidation
• physical or sexual assault
• armed robbery
• malicious damage to the property of staff, customers or the business.
“Workplace violence may not always be a critical or extreme situation from the outset. It sometimes follows a pattern of escalating behaviour — from agitation, expressed anger or frustration and intimidating body language, to verbal/ written abuse and threats, physical threats, or assault.”
“‘Violence’ has a wide meaning and is not restricted to physical acts. It will include any behaviour that seriously interferes with the physical or psychological safety and wellbeing of staff and students. Examples include threats to commit violence, aggressive behaviour which is non-contact in nature and may also include offensive, aggressive or abusive language directed to staff or students.” (Source)
Common Risks in a School Workplace
According to Worksafe, the most common types of injuries in schools relate to psychological injuries and illnesses, and injuries resulting from manual handling and slips, trips and falls. However, workplace health and safety risks in schools can include risks as varied as:
• health hazards like asbestos and mould
• bushfire or fire hazards
• slip and fall risks due to stormwater drainage, rainwater or low visibility
• design safety issues regarding the layout of the school including roads, vehicles and footpaths
• manual handling risks such as moving equipment inside classrooms
• work related stress, bullying or other psychological injuries
• violence between students, against staff and between parents on school grounds
• school excursions and camps.
MORE DISCREET • MORE ACCURATE • MORE RELIABLE • MORE USER-FRIENDLY • MORE LIVES SAVED • MORE AFFORDABLE
Track | Manage | Mitigate | Secure | Communicate | Respond | Rescue
