UW News

November 4, 1999

UW hosts seminar about preventing workplace violence

As recent events have again shown, workplace violence is a real threat. The University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine is holding a daylong seminar on Nov. 16 on “Preventing Workplace Violence.”

The seminar was scheduled by the school’s Department of Environmental Health before shootings this past week in Honolulu and Seattle.

The conference is designed for managers, worker representatives, safety and health professionals, and other staff who provide employee assistance.

Twenty percent of work-related deaths nationally are caused by violence, and many more workers suffer serious injuries. Attendees will learn the elements of a good violence prevention program and hear about successful programs in New York and California. They’ll also learn tools and techniques to train others in their organization. Speakers will also discuss Washington’s mandatory rules for workplace safety in retail businesses that are open late at night.

Speakers at the conference will include representatives of successful violence prevention programs in California and New York, the state Department of Labor and Industries, labor unions and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Advance registration is required. The cost for the conference, a manual, lunch and other materials is $165 per person. Organizations that send more than one person receive a 15 percent discount. For more information, call (206) 543-1069 or http://depts.washington.edu/envhlth/conted/ce/course_descriptions/viol99.html on the World Wide Web.