CCA is committed to promoting and maintaining a safe environment for its employees, students, and community. Threatening, intimidating, or violent behavior will not be tolerated in the campus workplace. In order to ensure a safe workplace and meet the California Senate Bill 553 (SB 553), a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) has been developed.

This page provides awareness and education, as well as outlining the plan and steps to maintain a safe working environment. Feel free to also reference our Workplace Violence Policy as well as the Public Safety Emergency Responses.

As a CCA community member, it is expected that you adhere, report, and are aware of unsafe behaviors or actions in the campus environment.

What can be found in the plan:

• Definitions - of workplace violence and the different types, including reportable examples
• Plan Administration - roles and responsibilities of community members
• Incident Reporting and Investigation- who to contact and what to include in an incident report
• Employee Compliance - protocols & procedures to bring awareness and implement and maintain the plan
• Hazard Assessment and Controls - positions with identified hazards and prevention protocols

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• Defining workplace violence
• Responsibilities
• Examples of what to report
• Procedures for reporting
• Examples of workplace hazards
• Warning signs

Workplace violence — any act or gesture intended to harass or intimidate another person; any act or gesture that damages or is likely to damage company property; or any act or gesture that leaves or is likely to leave another person injured or fearing injury. There are different types of violence listed below.

Type I - The aggressor has no legitimate business relationship to the workplace and usually enters the affected workplace to commit a robbery or other criminal act such as robbery.

Type II - The aggressor is either the recipient or the object of a service provided by the affected workplace or the victim, such as a current or former client, patient, customer, passenger, criminal suspect, inmate or prisoner.

Type III - The aggressor has some employment-related involvement with the affected workplace such as a current or former employee, supervisor, manager; a current/former spouse or significant other, a relative, friend; or some other person who has a dispute with an employee of the affected workplace.

It is the responsibility of all CCA community members to support a workplace free of violence; this includes implementation, adherence, and active participation in prevention efforts, reporting incidents promptly, and fostering a respectful and safe work environment. Additionally, specific individuals such as those in HR, public safety, and the WVPP committee have defined roles in the plan to ensure its effective execution and maintenance.

• Physical Violence
  • Assault: Any physical attack, such as hitting, slapping, pushing, or any form of physical aggression.
  • Battery: Unlawful physical contact with another person without consent, causing bodily harm.
  • Stabbing or Shooting: Any incidents involving weapons like knives or firearms.
  • Sexual Assault: Any form of non-consensual physical contact of a sexual nature.
• Threats of Violence
  • Verbal Threats: Statements indicating an intention to cause harm, such as “I’m going to hurt you” or “You’ll be sorry.”
  • Written Threats: Threatening messages sent through emails, text messages, letters, or social media.
  • Gestures: Menacing gestures or actions that imply a threat of physical harm, like shaking fists, brandishing weapons, or making slashing motions.
• Domestic Violence
  • Personal Relationships: Incidents where domestic issues spill into the workplace, such as an abusive partner showing up at the office.
• Situational Examples
  • Disputes: Heated arguments between employees that escalate to threats of physical harm.
  • Customer or Client Aggression: Situations where clients or customers become violent or threaten employees.

Examples of workplace violence include, but are not limited to threats or acts of violence:

1. Violence in progress
2. Hostile situation in progress
3. Violence or hostile situation in progress away from campus
4. Hostility or threat of violence, but no immediate threat
5. Hostility or threat of violence of a sexual nature, but no immediate threat

It is the responsibility of every member of the campus community to take any violence or threat of violence seriously and to report workplace violence or threats of violence to the appropriate authorities (as detailed below), without concerns for retaliation. When appropriate, an Incident Report Form will be completed for all incidents.

If any of the following violence should occur on campus, please call for help.

• Violence in progress: Call 911, then Public Safety when safe to do so (Patrol Phone: 415-726-2061 or Main Desk: 415-703-9512)
• Hostile situation in progress: Public Safety (Patrol Phone: 415-726-2061 or Main Desk: 415-703-9512)
• Violence or hostile situation in progress away from campus: local police (911)
• Hostility or threat of violence, but no immediate threat: Public Safety (Patrol Phone: 415-726-2061 or Main Desk: 415-703-9512)
• Hostility or threat of violence of a sexual nature, but no immediate threat: Public Safety (Patrol Phone: 415-726-2061 or Main Desk: 415-703-9512)

Additional contacts and more information on who to contact based on the situation can be found here.

• Employees or proprietors who have face-to-face contact and exchange money with the public, work late at night and into the early morning hours, and work alone or in very small numbers are at greatest risk of a Type I event.
• Type II events involve fatal or nonfatal injuries to individuals who provide services to the public. These events involve assaults on public safety and correctional personnel, social service providers, teachers, and other public or private service sector employees who provide professional, public safety, administrative or business services to the public.
• A Type III workplace violence event consists of an assault by an individual who has some employment-related involvement with the workplace. Generally, a Type III event involves a threat of violence, or a physical act of violence resulting in a fatal or nonfatal injury, to an employee, supervisor or manager of the affected workplace by the following types of individuals - supervisor or manager; or some other person who has a dispute with an employee of the affected workplace, e.g., current/former spouse or lover, relative, friend or acquaintance.

One of the top factors in preventing workplace violence is recognizing the warning signs. However, not everyone who exhibits one or more of these signs is potentially violent. It is important to understand these signs, recognize when they may occur, and report them to your supervisor, Human Resources, or Public Safety. If you see something, say something.

The following are general warning signs that an individual may be escalating toward violence:

• threatens revenge
• becomes violently or easily angry
• acts paranoid
• openly speaks about weapons in the context of teaching people a lesson
• intimidates, harasses or engages in belligerent behavior
• displays unusual or unpredictable behavior
• has numerous conflicts with others
• makes continual excuses
• displays unshakable depression
• evidences serious psychological stress

Type I Warning Signs:

Usually, someone who is about to commit a robbery or some other violent act enters the premises looking very purposeful, knowing what they want to accomplish and where they must go to accomplish the act.

• Lingerer/Stalker/Suspicious Person - Pay attention to anyone who may linger around the premises who seems to be checking out the building, the actions of employees, or the routine of the office.
• Familiar Vehicle - Notice if someone has been driving around the building on several occasions casing out the area.

Type II Warning Signs:

• Easily Irritated - Notice if the customer is showing signs of irritability or anger, or if their temper flares up easily when dealing with an employee or with another customer.
• Combative Attitude - A combative customer may glare at another employee, use threatening remarks, or make physical gestures.
• Fatigue - Customers may become tired of waiting in long lines for long periods of time. They may show signs of fatigue, which will increase the possibility of an uneasy demeanor.
• Anger - Where they may want to verbally express their discontent.

Type III Warning Signs:

• Attendance Problems - Without reason.
• Decreased Productivity - Be aware of any employee with a satisfactory performance record in the past whose work performance suddenly changes or deteriorates.
• Inconsistent Work Patterns - Monitor degrees of productivity to see if there is a pattern.
• Poor Co-worker Relationships - Warning signs include belligerent behavior, overreaction to criticism, mood swings, verbal harassment of others.
• Unusual or Changed Behavior - This can include emotional outbursts, physical violence such as hitting a wall or a piece of equipment, inappropriate remarks or threats, unusual statements such as the end of the world, being spied on, secretive behavior.
• Fascination with Guns or Weapons - Talks frequently about guns and is obsessed with the power of guns.
• Evidence of Serious Stress in the Employee's Personal Life - Crying, excessive personal phone calls, bill collectors, recent separation or death of a loved one.
• Continual Excuses/Blame - Inability to accept responsibility for even the most inconsequential errors.
• Unshakable Depression - Demonstrates depressed behavior for long periods of time. Low energy, little enthusiasm, expresses cynicism or despair.

Do's & Don'ts when confronted with potential violence.

When a potential or actual violent incident occurs, follow these do's and don'ts:

DO

• Your best to stay calm;
• Speak to the other person quietly and calmly and silence your phones;
• Try to put some space between yourself and the perpetrator;
• Create physical barriers of protection, using objects, movement and communication to stop the perpetrator;
• Obey the perpetrator's orders as in a robbery;
• Evacuate the area, if possible; or
• Try to take cover, such as under a desk, if it is not possible to evacuate the area and you are not the immediate victim;
• Document conversations immediately, perpetrator's description, and what occurred, obtaining names and any identification;
• If you are a supervisor/manager and your employee has reported a violent act, report it to the proper authorities, and then notify public safety.

DO NOT

• Try to out shout the other person or make any aggressive moves towards them;
• Argue with the perpetrator;
• Use defensive sprays or weapons;
• Fight with the perpetrator;
• Chase the perpetrator; or
• Try to break up or intervene in a violent act
• Do not risk getting hurt yourself.

Check out Workplace Violence Awareness and Prevention training for more information.