At one time the phrase “violence at work” made us think of police officers and their run-ins with dangerous criminals. Now workplace violence is considered everything from bullying e-mails and verbal threats at one end of the spectrum, to the ultimate, a deadly attack by terrorists that kills thousands.

The person behind the violence may be a stranger coming to your workplace specifically to commit a crime, an enraged customer who attacks an employee, a fellow employee with a grudge, or even the spouse of an employee who brings a domestic conflict to the employee’s workplace. All of these categories of people are represented in the 800 workplace homicides that occur each year in the United States.

No employer wants to see any employee become a victim of violence. Not only are such situations personally distressing, but they also have an economic impact. The direct expense of physical attacks may include worker’s comp costs and property damage.

There also are indirect expenses. Your workforce morale and productivity are likely to plummet after violent episodes. This is true to varying degrees even when the aggressive attacks are verbal, rather than physical. And it’s difficult to attract and keep employees in settings that aren’t perceived as safe.

What’s the likelihood of violence hitting your workplace? According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ “Survey of Workplace Violence Prevention” 2006 report, nearly 5 percent of the 7.1 million private businesses who responded to the survey had had an incident within the previous 12 months. There were significantly more incidents in the largest companies. More than half the companies with more than 1,000 employees said incidents had occurred in that time period.

Yet more than 70 percent of U.S. workplaces do not have a formal program or policy that addresses workplace violence. Of those that do have a program or policy, co-worker violence is the area most frequently covered (82 percent), with 72 percent addressing customer or client violence and 53 percent addressing criminal violence.

What can the employer do to reduce the likelihood of workplace violence and lessen its impact if it does occur?

• Thoroughly assess your organization’s policies, procedures and resources relating to safety. If you don’t have a policy for workplace violence, now is a good time to develop one, both for prevention and crisis management. The tragedy at Northern Illinois University is a good example of the benefits of a plan. The school was praised for its quick communications with students and effective campus shut-down during a recent shooting rampage by a former student.

• Develop fair and equitable human resources policies, such those relating to performance reviews, discipline and promotions and be diligent about reference and background checks.

• Be prompt and consistent in rooting out workplace harassment and discrimination.

• Provide training for your managers and supervisors in employee relations and conflict resolution skills. Make sure they know when to call the authorities and when a referral to your employee assistance program or other resource might be appropriate. Let them know they should not attempt to be therapists.

• Consider offering employee education programs in stress management, anger management, conflict resolution and personal security measures.

• Stay up-to-date on your industry’s best practices in safety technology. Some of the measures that are now common weren’t until fairly recently, such as the use of cameras in retail settings, metal detectors in schools, and buzzers for admission to designated areas in hospitals. It’s better to install whatever technology is appropriate for your organization before an incident occurs.

• If you have a security staff, invest in training in defusing volatile situations.

• Train your employees to report any suspicious behavior or activities on the part of co-workers, customers or visitors to the workplace. They should not confront any person who poses a threat. The accompanying sidebar points out types of behavior that may be warning signs of violence.

Jeffrey Williamson-Link, M.D., medical director of corporate health at Edward Hospital, contributed to this article in cooperation with Edward Hospital. Contact him at jwilliamson-link@edward.org