Politics & Government

Mineola Adopts New Workplace Violence Prevention Policy

New policy calls for "zero tolerance" and is in line with state regulations.

Reacting to what have been reportedly several other instances in nearby municipalities, the Village of Mineola adopted a new “Workplace Violence Prevention Policy and Program.”

The village has a current policy in place and “we think it’s pretty good,” village attorney John Spellman said during the meeting on June 12 at the village hall,  “however, the investigations and minutes in various municipalities around our area by the department of labor has caused us to rethink our program.”

New York State labor law states that the village must have a workplace violence prevention policy in place. The new policy sets a “zero tolerance” act in “an effort to reduce the possibility of workforce violence,” Spellman said.

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The policy is in two parts: the policy itself and the implementation program, which consists of an assessment of potential violence in the village and all buildings and properties. It also reviews village systems, security and protections in place to prevent workplace violence. It also calls for training of employees as to what violence is, what to do if one is a victim or witness of and how to report such instances.

“There will be a full assessment of our facilities, a full review of our procedures, a review of our existing security camera, locks, etc.,” Spellman said. “We’ve been involved in a number of villages where the department of labor has come in, they have issued violations because certain of the policies did not match up to the requirements.”

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